Three Day War
by Elda Aranel
Summary: AC 195, the war raged, tearing many people apart. Some bonds heal, some become stronger, and some never heal. War changes people. Meilan Chang knew this. The reality hit her hard many times. AU, 5xM
1. Part One

Summery: AC 195, the war raged, tearing many people apart. Some bonds heal, some become stronger, and some never heal. War changes people. Meilan Chang knew this. The reality hit her hard many times. AU, 5xM

Pairings: Mainly 5xM with some 1xR, 2xH, 4xD

Category: AU

Genre: Drama, Romance, little hint of Action/Adventure

Length: 4 chapters

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Sorry but I don't own GW or its characters. I do own the OC's. Ja Ne!

"Three Day War"

_Part One_

By Elda Aranel

"Meilan, whenever you feel like coming out, dinner's waiting for you on the table," Wufei said. He then walked to his own room. "Stupid woman," he muttered.

Have been defeated by him had left a deep scar on the young woman's pride. She spent most of her time alone in her room or the small garden. As much as she irritated him, it was uncomfortable, this silence of hers. He'd almost prefer the spitfire back.

Pushing her easily from his mind, Wufei settled in for the night, not missing the sound of someone walking through the hall.

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The next morning, Wufei walked into the kitchen. He found, surprisingly, that Meilan was finishing making breakfast. When she looked at him, she glared before turning away. Her moping had turned to bitterness. He didn't know if that was good or bad.

Breakfast was tensely silent. The two refused to even look at each other, let alone talk. Then again, most mornings were like this.

And the rest of the day passed the same as always. Once the dishes were cleaned up, Wufei went to the field to study while Meilan locked herself in her room again. Unlike other days lately, she eventually came out to practice her kata.

The day wore on into evening. With evening came dinner, which meant the rough couple coming together. For the first time in almost a week, Meilan ate dinner downstairs. As always the meal was silent. It seemed like they were back to their old routine. A silent meal, clean up, and then split up for the evening. Amazingly that was where the 'old routine' ended.

Wufei watched from a small distance as Meilan went clumsily through her forms. He frowned. She was never this sloppy. More over, her mind seemed elsewhere. Slowly and carefully, he made his way over to her.

"What do you want?" Meilan snapped. She stopped her current kata and moved to start again. "To gloat?"

"Hardly," Wufei replied. "I noticed your form and concentration were off."

"You don't have to state the obvious." Meilan brought her fist forward, inches from his chest. Were she to twist her body into the punch, she would have hit him.

"Why do I have the distinct feeling you don't want my help?" Wufei said.

"And why would I need your help?" she inquired with a glare. She brought her arm back and preformed a simply block.

"Perhaps you could tell me."

Meilan scowled in frustration. "Quit it with the riddles! I don't need your help. In fact, I don't even want to see you. You've won. Just leave me alone." She began to run off but Wufei caught her.

"You lost once, out of numerous times," he said quietly. "I think you're taking it a little too harshly."

Meilan didn't say anything.

"You made that challenge and lost. Forget that you lost. Think of what you gained. Maybe you'll learn, and even gain, something." He let her go. She ran.

She ran to the only place she knew he wouldn't come to: her room. Once within the safe walls of her room, Meilan collapsed onto her bed. All of her rage, frustration, and humiliation were let lose in tears and violet sobs.

'I…can't believe…I let him reduce me to this…pathetic,' she thought.

Wufei slowly opened Meilan's door and peered in. He saw the girl asleep on her bed. Her face was red and her day's attire was unchanged. He couldn't see but he was sure her eyes were red and raw. In some ways, Wufei was and was not surprised to see her like this.

In the unsurprised category, anyone would be expected to break down after having their pride beat down. It still surprised him, though. Meilan was a strong and passionate person. Losing to him must have hit harder then he thought. Perhaps it was time they talked about it.

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-April 7, AC 195 4:28 AM

That time for talk never came. An explosion echoed through the colony. Meilan awoke and hurried into the hall, only to collide with Wufei.

"What was that? What's going on?" Meilan asked.

"We're being attacked," he answered somewhat calmly.

"By the Earth Sphere Alliance?"

"Who else? Everyone's heading to the shelters," Wufei said as he pulled her along. Thankfully, they were able to get to a shelter in moments. Master Long stood waiting for them anxiously.

"Good timing," he said. "Let's hurry." Master Long walked into the shelter quickly. Meilan and Wufei followed. Just as she passed the door way, Wufei pushed her further in gently and left.

"Wufei!" she called out but her voice was drowned out by the noise. She searched around for him but couldn't see him. 'What is the fool doing?'

That was the last time she ever saw or heard from him again.

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War. That's what the feud between the Earth Sphere and the colonies has come to. A full scale, bloody war. In the middle of that war was her husband. A Gundam Pilot.

Of all the things she couldn't believe, that most unbelievable was that Wufei had taken up the sword long term. After he beat her in that duel, it was a little more believable that he could be an able soldier. And just as unbelievable was the fact she was missing him. Missing his stubbornness, his company, everything. Of course, the Elders were relishing the peace and quiet when the war wasn't near the colony.

Most of Meilan's days were spent in town with Mira. The two would watch the news about the war. As long as she saw or heard that the Gundam Pilots were still being sighted, Meilan remained hopeful.

Most people figure that if Wufei did return, that the two would be back to fighting. Meilan believed it, yet she strangely hoped they would not fight as often. She was also looking forward, though she would never admit it, to sparring with Wufei again. He was the only that could match her, if not beat her. Again, everything depended on the outcome of the war.

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Meilan reentered her home silently. A day spent yet again with Mira turned interesting. The news announced the colonies rejection of the Gundams and their pilots. There was also an execution order out for the pilots.

Meilan cursed OZ and Romafeller. Those fools took the war into their hands and twisted it to their game. The Gundams have not been sighted in the last month and a half. Rumors were flying, saying that the pilots were killed, captured, or in hiding. No one knew. However hard she tried, Meilan could not help but admit she was worried about Wufei. She didn't know why, but just that she was.

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This is one day Meilan did not go to Mira's. Not only are there mostly rumors of their deaths, no one had spotted the pilots or the Gundams in the past two and a half months. The other dampener on her mood was a smaller but damaging event.

Kun Shaolang was one of a few men who desired her for a wife. Others were Li Ling, Yao Chong, and Suo Pah. Kun Shaolang has haunted her steps longer though. She never bothered to tell anyone. If he tried anything, Meilan could easily take him out. It wasn't even an issue in her book. Again, her judgment was clouded over with pride.

Meilan just came from Mira's home again. Like most days the two shared dinner together. Mira was married but her husband was out fighting in the war. Mira hoped he never came back. The fights those two have could rival that of Meilan and Wufei's fights. Mira was the same age as Meilan, fifteen. Compared to Meilan, Mira was more feminine. Her hip-length hair was either in a traditional hairstyle or let loose. Meilan just kept her mid back-length hair in a ponytail or loose. Mira also wore dresses more than Meilan. She was not an athletic girl either. While Meilan would gladly practice martial arts, Mira would prefer to read poetry and cook. To add to the day-and-night pair, Mira was so thin and delicate that one would instantly think 'anorexic!'. She walked slowly, ate gracefully, spoke softly, and formal. In addition, she wore tradition makeup occasionally. Meilan hardly touched the lip paints or eye shadow, let alone the full get-up. Meilan was slender and bold in her attitude. She would wear formal robes if the occasion called for it. Dresses were worn in the house where no one would see her.

That evening started out badly enough, with the heavy rain. The news was no different. She and Mira spent most of the evening chatting. When Meilan left, the rain was letting up. Still, Meilan ran all the way home. By the time she got there, her clothes were soaked. She opted to take a warm shower and put on a simple robe afterwards. The house was dim and silent. It was late evening by the time Meilan settled down. She was reading in her room when someone knocks on the door. Sighing, she stood and left the room to answer it. Meilan regretted opening it.

Kun Shaolang stepped in. "Good evening, Meilan."

"That's Mrs. Chang to you, Shaolang," she snapped, closing the door. Some people just had to be reminded she was unhappily married! "What are you doing-"

Meilan was silenced by his lips that smashed against hers. Her eyes widened and she tried to push him away. Kun instead grasped her wrists and pushed her against the wall. The young woman struggled uselessly. Of all things her upper body strength was weaker in close combat than her lower body strength. Very close combat. Kun had his body pressed against her, giving her no room to move her legs. She was trapped.

'How many women ended up like this?' she wondered. At the moment, she could not do anything. It was a dangerous hope…and move, but she could possible play him. Make him vulnerable.

Kun moved his lips from hers and slowly trailed down her jaw line. Meanwhile, he moved one of his hands along her body, feeling her young curves. With his larger body pressed so close to her, Meilan could barely move away from his groping. He was nearly a head taller than her. Suddenly he pressed his hip against hers. Meilan's breath caught in her throat as she felt his arousal press into her. Panic tried to well up inside her. She had to get him off her.

Reluctantly, she faked a moan as he pressed into her again. Sure that she would not struggle, Kun moved his other hand to her hips. Abruptly his hands slipped between the overlapping fabric of her robe and grasped her lower hips. She felt his run her inner thighs. Meilan bit back a whimper. Slowly, she grasped the front of his shirt as he kissed her neck.

"You never answered my question," she whispered in his ear.

"Making you mine, woman," he replied huskily. His guard was totally down. Meilan quickly pushed him off her and swiftly kicked him in his lower regions. When he doubled over, she swung around and dealt a blow to his head. He did not fall unconscious; he just fell to the ground in pain. As he lay groaning in pain, Meilan grabbed her sword that was conveniently on the shelf in the hall. For once, Meilan was glad she was too lazy to put the blade up. When Kun Shaolang began to recover, he found a cold blade against his throat.

"I hope you're rethinking that last statement," she said icily. "This won't go unheard of to the Elders. Try this again, you'll get worse. Now get out."

Kun stood up, unsteady. "Another time, bitch." The blade pressed to his throat.

"Beat it," she snapped. He left the house without another word. After a moment, Meilan locked the door and returned to her room. The rest of the night was restless.

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Over the next week, Meilan remained at home. Her daily practice took place in the small garden. She normally wore her near-black purple outfit. The advances of Kun still haunted her. The Elders dismissed the matter. This infuriated her. Despite that she was the strongest in the clan, they still regarded her as a mere woman, incapable of telling the truth. If Wufei were here…Meilan shook her head.

'That's just great,' she thought. 'Now I'm thinking of the 'if he were here' stuff.' In her next punch, Meilan vented all her frustration.

"Mei! Mei, are you here?" Mira called out. She walked hastily into the garden.

"What's wrong, Mira?" Meilan took note of her friend's exhausted appearance. No one would think this scrawny woman just barely ran to her house.

"I saw him in the colony with Master Long," Mira exclaimed.

"Him?"

"Wufei," Mira clarified. Meilan's eyes grew wide as she quickly stroke over to her friend.

"Where were they at?" she asked.

"I last saw them near the west bridge. Let's go."

As the two girls hurried through the town, the action began. A few mobile suits entered the colony as well as a troop of soldiers. Woman and children started panicking. Many ran to shelters or their homes, which ever was closer. Most of the men were drawing swords, preparing to defend their colony. The swords were, however, no match for the guns the soldiers carried.

"Mei, hurry," Mira cried out. She started to the nearest shelter.

"Go," Meilan said. "I'll catch up with you."

"Are you crazy? They'll kill you," Mira yelled in a panicked voice.

"Just go. I'll be fine." Mira nodded and quickly left. Meilan, on the other hand, went on. She found a dropped blade to fight with. Unlike the others, she kept out of the way. Long distance combat was a sure way to die. Before much could happen, the mobile suits found their target. The old building where the Shenlong and Tallgeese were originally made collapsed as the mobile suits fired. Out of the debris stepped the Shenlong Gundam. Wufei! She hurried to an open space to get a better view. The Gundam moved out and left the colony, the MS perusing it.

Meilan watched quietly as they left. She missed her chance to see Wufei again. She wouldn't know what to say. Probably yell at him for leaving suddenly, kill him, and all that. With her attention away, Meilan did not notice a trooper knock her in the back of the head with the butt of his gun. A sharp pain spread through her body as darkness overtook her vision. The last things she heard were explosions, gunfire, and screams.

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"What…happened?" Meilan croaked, her throat dry. Light filled her eyes as she slowly opened them. She saw Mira and her grandfather looming over her.

"Oh, Mei! You're okay!" Mira squealed in delight. Meilan gave her a tired glare.

"The colony was badly damaged. The Shenlong was able to get OZ off of us before they destroyed the colony," Master Long replied. "You have been out for a week, child."

"A week?" How could it have been that long? Her head still hurt. She asked, "What happens now?"

"We recover and hope the war ends soon. Now you rest up. I'll have Mira bring you something to eat later." Meilan nodded and closed her eyes again. The room went dark again as the two left her.

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The next few months passed in tense stillness for Colony A02026. The war raged endlessly. Many things happened. Relena became queen and created the world nation. The Gundams grew stronger. Treize's power swayed. Mobile Dolls came into use. The White Fang rose. Zechs led the White Fang and Libra. It all came down to one, large, final battle. The White Fang vs. the World Nation. The Gundams turned out victorious. The entire colony sighed in relief and celebrated the new peace.

Meilan sat watching the true night sky. The weather controllers let down the solid barriers. The Earth was beautiful. Scarred, but beautiful still. Debris still floated around in space. Mira came up to her and sat down with her.

"Mei, why are you sitting around instead of having fun?" she asked.

"I just…I don't feel like it, that's all," she replied.

Mira sighed and looked out into space, too. "It's strange, you know." Meilan just looked at her. Mira continued gazing at the Earth.

"If things hadn't turned out the way they had, the Earth would be a dead planet. Or the colonies wouldn't have survived. Earth and Space have fought for a year and now we have peace. It's so strange. What do we do with ourselves now? Or rather, what do soldiers do with themselves? Many were born and bred for the battlefield. It's their life. What do they do when it's taken away from them? Stranger yet, peace is so delicate that war could erupt at any moment."

Meilan thought about that. "You have a point. I guess we'll have to wait and see." They fell silent again.

Finally, Mira stood and began to walk away. "Whether he's alive or not, I doubt he'll return."

"Wait! What was that?" Meilan stood and hurried over to Mira. Mira turned a sorrowful gaze to Meilan.

"Meilan, think about it," she said seriously. "Even if he was still alive at the war's end, something could've have happened the got him killed. If he's alive and intended to return, he would have done so by now. What's he going to gain by returning here? War changes people. Wufei is no exception." Then Mira walked away, leaving Meilan facing what could easily be true.

"Wufei," she whispered softly. A breeze brushed by as Meilan stood watching the sky.

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Thanks for reading. This part isn't long but the next is. I'm a big fan of Wufei and Meilan. There aren't enough good stories about them. They all have her dieing. If she DOES live, the people never make the story complete. Drives me nuts.


	2. Part Two

Chapter Note: For the cloths, I'm thinking Mulan. So use your imagination. And any OC names you read, I just made up. Ailin and Shen are the only real Chinese names I used for OC's. I'm too lazy to do the research. Also, most of this is from Meilan's POV. If you're wondering about the story idea and the OOCness, fear not. I thought, since I wasn't going to kill Meilan, why get more AU?

"Three Day War"

_Part Two_

By Elda Aranel

AC 198

"Are you always this stubborn?" Li Ling asked. Meilan shrugged. She was once again arguing with Li Ling, one of the men that made her one of their goal. Since the end of the war, that's all anyone could do, lust after her. Meilan was now eighteen. It had been three long years since the war ended. Three years since she last saw Wufei, her husband. There had been no contact from him since the battle on the colony where she saw him piloting Shenlong. She never liked him but even she would admit he was better than the other men who were after her. He had the guts to go fight after all, instead of cowering in the colony. Right now, she was having the time of her life fending of the number one contender, Li Ling. It didn't help he caught her with a dress on. She would have some trouble fighting him if it came to that.

"Pretty much," she answered casually.

"Well, I would rather you not be stubborn," he replied. "It's irritating trying to fight with you."

"You are not my husband and do not have any power over me," she snapped. "So don't tell me what to do and not do."

"I'm supposedly your husband-to-be," Li said hotly.

"Not if I have anything to do with it," Meilan said. "There's no way I'll marry you. You are weak."

"I'm not weak, woman!" Li said harshly. "I'm one of the strongest in my class and family. Don't go saying I'm weak."

"You couldn't beat a mouse, let alone me," Meilan retorted.

"I'll take you down anytime, Mei," Li said.

"And stop calling me that! It's Meilan to you, or better yet _Mrs_. Chang," she said. "You have no right to call me any pet names, or the right to tell me what to do."

"I can do as I please. Don't forget your place, woman," Li said.

"I'll ─" she was cut short as a man walked up to the arguing pair. He bowed and spoke to Meilan.

"Master Long wishes to speak with you," he said. Meilan nodded, scowling inside. She followed the man away from Li to where her grandfather was waiting for her: in the clan garden. It was a secluded place surrounding them with lush bushes and fragrant flowers of many colors. Master Long sat on a flat rock by a small blue pond. Meilan walked toward him and bowed. The other man had left.

"You wished to speak with me, Grandpa?" she asked.

"Yes, I do," Master Long said. "There are two things. One is new, one is old. You know what the old is."

"Me and marriage," Meilan said with a sigh. "And we've been over this over and over. I'm not getting married again. Not unless you provide proof that Wufei is dead. And if you do that, then at least pick someone other than Ling Li. He's weak and has no intellect."

"He's a strong warrior and quite intelligent," Master Long argued. "If Wufei was still alive then he would have at least contacted us. There hasn't been a word since the war. It's time to move on. You've long lost any hope of him returning. Besides, you two always argued and hated each other. I don't see why you're waiting around. Unless I'm mistaken, you're just trying to avoid getting married again."

"Get off my case, would you?" she said through clenched teeth. "I will not remarry."

"The other Elders and I have already talked. You will be married to Ling Li in three weeks from today," Master Long said firmly. Her heart sank.

"What! I don't think so! I will not marry him. He's stuck up and a complete weakling. He's not worthy," she ranted.

"Meilan, you will marry Ling Li in three weeks. End of discussion," Master Long said.

"You can't make me marry him. I don't care what you ─"

"Excuse me but the Preventers have arrived, Master Long," the servant said. Master Long turned to his now silent granddaughter. He could feel her seething. He knew the Elders and he just set off a bomb.

"That brings me to topic two: the Preventers. They believe there are assassins connected to this colony. They didn't say much about these assassins. They sent two Preventers to investigate. I expect you to be well mannered. They shouldn't be here for long. Show them this way." The servant left and returned later with the two Preventers. One had Persian blue eyes with brown hair. The second Preventer was Chinese and quite familiar.

"Wufei," Meilan whispered very softly.

"Welcome to our colony, Preventers," Master Long said. "I'm Master Long. This is my granddaughter, Long Meilan." He felt Meilan glaring into his back when he used her maiden name.

"Preventer Zero," Heero said and he gave a curt nod towards Wufei. "Preventer Dragon. I'm assuming Chief Une has already spoken with you about why we're here."

"She did indeed," Master Long said. "She went through everything. From what I was told, once you have met with me I guess you're on your own."

"That's what we were told as well," Wufei said. "We're hoping you'll inform us if anything comes up."

"I'll be sure to do that," Master Long said. The Preventers half bowed and left. Once the door was closed Meilan turned to her grandfather.

"What was that about me remarrying?" she asked dryly. Then she brushed past him and left the hall. Master Long sighed. More complications. How distressing.

Meilan walked through the streets silently. Children played in the streets while their parents tended to the markets. A traditional setting with a modern twist. Something she grew up in. Leaving the tourist and business side of town, Meilan wandered into the neighborhood side of the colony. She passed a familiar yet darkened house. Mira. Her husband did die in the 195 war. Mira was Meilan's best friend for years. They were complete opposites in appearances and activities, but got along like sisters. Last year, Mira passed away. No one ever found out how she died. Her sight lessened until she was blind and then her body became weaker. Within two months, the young woman was dead. No one missed her more than Meilan.

Meilan stopped to gaze at the house. So many memories. She spent most of the war with Mira, watching the news and talking. She wished Mira was still alive. She was the one Meilan wanted to talk to about the new marriage conflict. Somehow, Meilan knew it would come down to Li Ling or Chang Wufei. Other than they constantly fought in the past, she would rather be stuck with Wufei then Ling. At least he didn't live here and she knew how to put up with him.

"Mira," she muttered softly.

"What happened?" a voice asked suddenly. Meilan turned around to see Wufei and the other man, Heero.

"She died last year," Meilan said. "No one knows how and didn't really bother trying to figure it out."

"Sorry," Wufei said. "I knew she was like a sister to you."

"I'm over it," she said. "I guess you two are looking around for some assassins or something related to them."

"You're sharp," Heero commented. "I don't suppose you know anything, do you?" Meilan looked at him.

"Hard to say, since I wouldn't know what to look for," she finally said. "I did not know there were assassins being sought out, or that they were believed to have connections to this colony. So don't go asking me for information unless you give me specifics." Her last statement came out a little snappy.

"At the moment, we're looking around for rumors, conversations, anything in those areas," Heero replied.

Meilan thought for a moment. What of that rumor Lana and Ailin were talking about? She couldn't recollect the entire conversation and didn't was to falsely point fingers at her friends. Finally, she just shook her head. "Can't help you there."

"I don't believe you," Heero said. Meilan knew she was a bad liar.

"Get off my case, would you?" That was becoming her everyday line.

"Meilan, we need to know anything that relates to this case," Wufei said.

"Later." Meilan turned and began walking away. The two men watched at she left. Then they turned and went the other direction. What a great start of a mission.

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Heero and Wufei sat in their apartment, running through some of their files. It had been two days since their arrival and nothing serious had turned up yet. Heero would never admit it but he was glad Wufei was along for the mission. Not only did he speak their language, he knew many of the people and how to work with them. It made the job a little easier going. The only problem they had been with that one woman. She seemed reserved and willing to _not_ cooperate easily. Wufei said her name was Chang Meilan. Heero guessed they were related but didn't push the matter.

"The only thing we might have is in that woman," Heero said as last. "My guess is that we won't get far without knowing was she knows."

"You're right," Wufei agreed. "She's just so stubborn."

"You know her more than me," Heero added. "I'll continue looking around while you talk to her."

Wufei sighed. He figured he would be on 'interrogate-Meilan' duty. "Fine." With that, he stood and left the room. A few moments later, Heero followed out of the room.

Meilan was in the flower field, practicing once again. He would not leave her thoughts. A part of her was thrilled to see him alive. That meant no Ling or anyone else. Yet, it saddened her. They parted on bad terms. Why didn't he contact her? Her thoughts were a jumbled mess. She breathed out and swung around, only to see the topic of her thoughts. Wufei stood there casually, watching her movements.

"How long have you been there? And how did you know I was here?" she asked. She somehow knew he was looking for her.

"Only a few minutes," he answered. "I know you well enough. This time of day you're either practicing in the gardens or here."

"Alright so what do you want?"

"To talk about whatever you're hiding," he said. When she looked at him, confused, he said, "We know you're hiding something about the assassins. You were always a horrible liar."

Meilan turned away to hide the red the dusted her cheeks. That jerk! "Meilan…" She turned to face him again. His expression was mostly unreadable, yet solemn.

"If we don't sort this assassin issue out, if they strike at the rumored targets and succeed, war could easily start up. For some reason, I know you don't want that."

"All right, I'll tell you," she said. He then turned away.

"Back at the apartment," he said. "The open area is dangerous to talk about these things." Meilan silently agreed and followed him back to the apartment his partner and him stayed in. The room was clean, with the exception of a few file folders and two laptop computers. Wufei gestured for her to sit down. She sat on the couch. Wufei remained standing.

"Do you remember Lana and Ailin?" she asked. He nodded.

"Those two, Mira, and yourself were close friends before Lana married and Mira died," he said softly.

"Well, I was with the two a week ago," Meilan began. "It was late evening when we talked. Lana mentioned a rumor she had heard recently. Something about an assassination of Relena and the ESUN president, along with other high officials. I don't remember much of the conversation. They said something about a public assassination. I can't recall whom they heard that rumor from."

"That's the best lead we've had so far," Wufei said. He sat down at his computer and began typing something.

"Nothing will happen to Lana and Ailin, right?" she asked.

"Not unless they are involved, which I doubt." She sunk into her own thoughts for a while as Wufei continued working.

"Wufei," Meilan said quietly. He didn't turn to her. Instead, he continued working. She waited for him to respond.

"I'm listening," he said, still not turning to her.

"Where were you these last few years?" she asked.

"Here and there. The last couple of years I spent were with the Preventers," Wufei replied.

"And you never contacted us," Meilan snapped. "How could you just walk out on us? We were worried about you!" 'I was worried about you,' she added reluctantly to herself.

"You're still you," Wufei said. Meilan looked at him, puzzled.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked hotly.

"I thought you had mellowed out since we last met," he answered. "You seemed quieter. I guess no one has really bugged you lately."

"I've been 'bugged' enough lately, thanks to you," Meilan said. "Because you never contacted us, they all thought you were dead. Grandpa was going to marry me off to Li Ling! In three weeks!"

"What's your complaint? If I still know you, you'd do fine with him," Wufei said. He printed off a few data sheets he had composed. Meilan stared at him. He wasn't fazed that his wife would be his ex-wife and married to a long time rival?

"No I wouldn't," she said. "I've already met him. He's weak and…and…just so stupid. He thinks he can rule me and order me around."

"I thought you enjoyed arguing," Wufei said.

"Not really," she replied. "I don't like submitting to people like him." He finally turned to Meilan.

"Last time I checked, you don't submit to anyone," he said.

"I do but it's a rare thing," Meilan said. "You did a fine job in that field 3 years ago."

"You hardly submitted. You just received a harsh blow to your pride. I did notice you settled down a little."

"I learned a lot that day, like you said," she said. "I underestimated you and I ended up losing that fight."

"And you pretty much went into a small depression," he added. "Those few days were the quietest days we've had since we were married."

"Very funny," she said. "And you didn't care at all."

"I did, but that was a defeat you had to accept and understand on your own. I couldn't do anything for you; just make sure you didn't hurt yourself," Wufei replied.

"Huh?" Meilan was officially lost. Unfortunately, she couldn't argue. Once again he had eluded with small wise words. Before she could think of a way to respond, he grabbed his papers and walked out the door.

"Feel free to leave anytime," he said over his shoulder. Meilan slowly walked out of the building to the clan gardens to ponder.

It was getting dark before Meilan decided to head home. As she walked down the empty street, a loud _bang_ sounded. She hurried to where the sound had come from. Suddenly Heero and Wufei came around the corner of a large building. Both of their guns were drawn.

"What is-" she began, but Wufei silenced her with a glare and pulled her along. The three ducks behind a large, decorative, quarry stone surrounded by lush bushes. A gunshot was heard and a bullet ricocheted off the rock. Meilan was gently, but firmly, pushed to the ground by her husband. Heero decided to go offensive. He moved sharply, aiming his gun toward the shooter. He fired a shot but it hit nothing. The shooter was gone.

"What was that about?" Meilan asked, slowly getting up.

"Someone decided we weren't needed," Wufei said. He stood up, holstered his gun, and helped Meilan up.

"Whoever it was is long gone," Heero said, his own gun put away. "They'll probably be back."

"Something tells me that the others are having the same problem…or are going to," Wufei added.

"We'll contact them tomorrow," Heero said. "I'm going to see if there's any clue to our attacker."

"I'll go talk to Master Long," Wufei stated. "More than likely he heard those gunshots." Heero nodded in agreement.

"We'll meet back at the room in two hours," the Japanese Preventer said. Then he waked off. Wufei turned to Meilan.

"I'll drop you home before I go talk to Master Long," he said.

"I'm not a child," she said, glaring at him.

"Do you really want to walk in the dark with some shooter around?"

Meilan was caught there. "Alight," she gave in. They began walking towards Meilan's home.

"Why were you running from that man?" she asked. "With two against one, you could've won easily."

Wufei sighed. "Easy for you to say. As a Preventer, we try to avoid violence, especially so early in the game. Besides, could you see the shooter? I couldn't either. I wanted to avoid any unnecessary gunfire. If we had aimed wrong, who knows what could have happened. And since we couldn't see him, we didn't know where the next bullet was coming from."

"Oh," she said quietly. After a moment she said, "You really have changed n some ways. I never thought you would pilot Shenlong, or get involved with the war like you did."

"You've changed, too," he said sincerely.

"Still hate me?" she asked off handedly.

"Hate you? I may have been irritated or frustrated with you but I don't think I could hate you," he said lightly. They walked up to the house.

"Really? Why?"

"I admire you. You have a fiery spirit many people don't have." He paused for a moment. "I have to leave. We'll talk another time." With that, he turned and left her alone. Meilan watched him leave before entering the house. What a night!

----------------------------

"We're at a stand still," Heero announced. "Until we hear from Sally and Noin about the bullet and the other guys, we're stuck here."

"So there's not a thing we can do," Wufei concluded. "Lana and Ailin led us straight to nothing."

"Either them or that other girl, Meilan," Heero said. A man walked up to them.

"Master Long wished to speak with you," he said. The two Preventers walked to the main hall where the clan master stood waiting for them.

"I was hoping to talk more deeply about last night," he began. Before any thing else was said, another man walked in.

"Excuse me, Master Long," he said with a bow. "I was looking for Meilan. No has seen her this morning."

Master Long shook his head. "Not since our…talk yesterday morning." The man bow again and left. The Elder turned back to the Preventers. "About last night…"

Li Ling knocked on the door of Meilan's home. After the third knock, the door opened to reveal a somewhat tired Meilan. She groaned upon seeing him. Personally, he was the last person she wanted to see. Any more of his 'rule-you' attitude and he may not live to be married to anyone. "Now what?" she asked. He frowned but kept quiet as he walked in.

'What is it with people barging into my house?' she thought irritably.

"No one saw you this morning and earlier this afternoon and were wondering where you were," Li said without much preamble. Meilan rolled her eyes. How new was that? It wasn't very often she socialized. The other half was that she was trying to avoid her grandfather, parents, and Li. And maybe Wufei; she hadn't decided on that yet.

"They didn't see me because I didn't see them," she retorted, closing the door.

"I think a little respect is in order, woman," Li snapped.

Meilan felt like punching him. 'He shouldn't be talking about respect!' She replied tersely, "You need to earn it first."

Suddenly, she was against the wall, his fists placed on either side of her head. She felt like a caged animal. As least she could move, unlike the incident with Kun Shaolang, who died in that attack in 195 when Wufei was on the colony for the last time.

"May I remind you of your place, Meilan," he said in a low tone.

Regaining her courage, she glared daggered at him. "You don't own me."

"In less than three weeks, I will," he reminded her.

"If you haven't noticed, my husband is still well and alive," she pointed out. "So Master Long can't have us married." It surprised her how she easily said that. 'I'm going soft,' she thought dryly.

"He approved of that marriage, he can break it. Face it, Meilan, Chang doesn't accept you as his wife," Li sneered. "And he doesn't live here anymore. What's the point of carrying on? Not to mention you and Chang never got along."

"All it comes down to is either you or Chang. In the long and short run, Wufei a whole lot better than you," she snapped. In an instant, he back handed her across the face. When the initial shock was gone, so was Li Ling. The sting still remained, no doubt coloring her right cheek. Finally, she stormed out of the house. A short walk and a few turns later found her in the field she loved so much. Since she forgot to change out of her dress, Meilan did mainly kata involving the upper body. That didn't bother her much. In fact, it helped. When you are seriously annoyed and angry at the same time, just imagine the face of someone you hate and pretend to beat the living shit out of it. Works all the time. Meilan gave a small smile. It was almost three years ago she would rather knock Wufei around instead of Ling. Then again, she didn't know Ling at the time. If she did, forget Wufei. Ling was worse.

It was nearly six thirty before Meilan called it quits and went home. After a cool shower, she slipped into a simple blue, green, and white Chinese dress. She brushed her hair and tied the ends together in a bun. Not long after, Ailin came to the house.

"You should wear dresses more often," Ailin said. "You're beautiful in them." Meilan looked at her friend. Ailin was always a bit on the girly side.

"Why did you come here anyway? It can't be to harass me about clothing."

"Actually, someone told me to get you. Master Long, Master Honlyn, and Master Gin wanted to speak with you apparently. By the way, is it true you're going to marry Li Ling?" she inquired cheerfully. Ailin didn't know it but she was slowly walking towards a mine field.

"Like hell I would," Meilan said. "Besides, I'm still married."

"Rumors are going around that the Elders are going to terminate the marriage between you and Chang Wufei," Ailin said. She continued babbling. "I was never fond of the Chang family. Seemed awkward to me. Anyway, you're lucky to marry Ling. Half, well all of, of the other girls are envious. I mean, he's strong, smart, and quiet good-looking. He's also-"

"-a complete jerk," Meilan interjected. Ailin stared at her. Meilan groaned. "If you want him, he's all yours. He's the complete opposite of everything you said. Add to that that he's insensitive, rude, and has an ego so large I'm surprised the colony is still intact. If they do break the marriage, the Elders will more then likely find the wedding short a bride. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be going now." And then she left. Ailin pouted and followed her friend out the door. They went different directions.

As she walked to the hall, Meilan kept out of sight. Other than Ailin, Master Long, and a few others, no one ever saw her in a dress. And she wasn't going to ruin her reputation so quickly. Suddenly, she heard voices talking in hushed tones. Quickly, Meilan snuck up to eavesdrop.

"So what do we do about those Preventers? We can't very well continue with them around. In fact, they weren't supposed to be here in the first place!"

"We'll take them out then. It's not hard. I know Preventer Chang has a wife here. She's also the granddaughter of Master Long. If we get her, chances are they'll do what we want to protect her. Even if they hate each other, he'll still have to consider her safety as a civilian and a relation to a colony official."

Meilan strained to recognize the voices. She knew them but couldn't identify the hushed tones. She hated that. It irritated her to no end.

"Fine. It all works with me. You know this place. How do we get the blasted girl?" This voice Meilan didn't even know. Even the accent was different.

"Why the hell do you think I was in a hurry? She's on her way to the great hall now, moron. We have to catch her off guard. She's not easily dealt with."

Meilan didn't listen to any more. She turned and started to slowly creep her way back. The more distance she put between those people and herself, the less distance she'd have to run. She didn't know where the Elder's were at this time of night. Grandpa was rarely home. It would be risky to go there. Even if he was there, what could he do? And she definitely wasn't gong to go to Ailin's or Lana's place. It occurred to her that she had to get to Wufei and Heero.

As she moved along the stone path, a dark figure jumped out at her wielding a long knife. His face was covered with a dark cloth. Meilan bit back a scream as she dodged his attack. Remembering her constricting attire, she relied on hand to hand combat. Once he was on the ground, she started to run. When she tried to run past him, he grasped her ankle, tripping her. She awkwardly struggled against him. A second later he was up with his knife. He forced her to stand, holding her arm in a vice grip.

Without thought, she swiftly kneed him in the lower stomach. With a gasp, he doubled over. He still held her arm. Meilan grabbed the hand with the knife and forced it near his concealed face. The iron blade left a deep cut on his left side of his face. At the wave of new pain, the anguished man thrust the knife from his body and let her go. As he did so, Meilan began to pull away. The cold metal came into contact with her arm, creating a three inch long, horizontal wound on her right shoulder. Without a second thought, Meilan ran from the man, clutching her arm.

She ran for nearly ten minutes before stopping. Her arms was bleeding freely now. She ripped a strip of cloth from her dress hem to roughly wrap the wound. After slowing the bleeding a little, she quickly made her way to the apartment where the Preventers were at. The streets were dark and silent. Finally she reached the building where he was staying. With the room number in mind, she searched for the room. Finally, her eyes landed on the room door. She knocks and the door and waited. A moment later the door opened.

When Wufei saw the disheveled woman, he called for Heero as he moved to support her. He led her inside to the small kitchen table. Heero entered the area with the first aid kit. He asked, "What happened?"

"I…was attacked," Meilan answered. "Ailin came to me saying that Grandpa wanted to see me along with Master Gin and Honlyn. So I went and found a trap instead." She then proceeded to tell the two men everything she had heard and what had happened in careful detail. While she did so, Wufei listened as he tended to her wounds. Her shoulder needs a few stitches before he wrapped it up. He waited until she finished before taking care of her other scrapes and tiny cuts. When she did finish, Heero looked at Wufei.

"I'm going to look for Master Long and the others," he said. "Maybe we can figure this out." He left the room. The small click of the door signals his departure. Wufei continued checking her over. There were a couple of smaller scrapes on her face from when she fell. There was also the slightest bruise on her cheek as well. He used a cotton swab and dipped it in a little hydrogen peroxide. Meilan flinched a little as her skin stung from the hydrogen peroxide.

"Sorry," he said.

"It's okay."

"How hard did you hit the ground? It didn't sound that bad," he asked.

"It wasn't from the fall," she replied in monotone. Wufei stopped to listen attentively. Meilan almost never spoke like that. He began to think she wasn't going to tell him anything when she did. "I…had a small spat with Li Ling. That's all." She wasn't too keen on the idea of reviewing the conversation.

"Small? He left a bruise. What did you say that made him snap? Actually, why are you even associating with him? I never butt into your business but I at least knew you hated his family's guts."

"Just buzz off!" she said defensively. She knew that remark stung. Heck, she felt it herself. It was just a reaction.

"Just trying to help," he muttered, standing up. He began putting the supplied back into the small box.

"Sorry," Meilan apologized softly. He barely heard her.

"Forget it." He began to leave the room.

"Wufei, please." He had to stop. It could have been his imagination but he thought he heard a pleading tone in her voice. He didn't turn to her though. Instead, he just listened as she spoke.

"He's been around me lately, because…we're supposed to be married." Wufei sat back down. He kept an expressionless countenance.

"You were gone for so long; everyone doubted that you would come back or that you were even alive. Right before you came that day, Grandpa said that the Elders want Li and me to marry in three weeks. This afternoon, he stopped by the house. I pretty much said he was a jerk and all that. Then he hit me and left."

"You didn't do anything else?"

"Just stormed off later to vent some anger," she said ruefully.

"Normally I wouldn't say thing but feel free to hit him next time," he said. He then left to put the supplies away.

"That bastard didn't care one little bit," she murmured, her tone bitter. When he walked back in, she asked, "What happens from here?"

"Hopefully we find most of the attackers and put and end to this case," he answered flatly. "That done, we can get back to our lives. Right now, you're safer here until we can find Master Long."

"Fine," Meilan huffed. Wufei sat back down to finish whatever he started on the computer. The woman let her thoughts drift.

Fate was indeed unkind. In fact, it was heartless. A monster. Time does change things. Not long ago she hated this man she now ran to. Even now, she still found a moment or two to hate him. She hadn't seen him in three years, yet she found her feelings changing. Meilan blamed the new developments with Li for these changes. At least she didn't love Wufei, right? How could she? He hasn't been around. When they parted, she still hated him. It made no sense. Her thoughts went back to what Ling said. It was true. The two never accepted each other. Wufei's work kept him away. It was hopeless. Her life was hopeless.

Slowly, Meilan began to doze off. The phone rang. She didn't bother to lift her head from the table, nor did she listen to what Wufei said. She fell victim to the soothing darkness.

----------------------------

When Meilan awoke, she felt a sharp pain in her upper arm. Opening her eyes, she noticed two things: 1) she was lying on her injured shoulder and 2) she was in a bed. First, she rolled onto her back to get off her wound. The pain let up quickly. Checking her bandage, she found that the wound had barely bled through. Once she was awake enough, she stood and left the room. Heero and Wufei were both sitting at the table, talking softly. They stopped when she entered the area.

"You're finally awake," Heero said.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Ten twenty-three," Heero replied.

"What? I never sleep in that late!" she exclaimed. The two looked at her.

"You had a rough day yesterday, so that's reasonable."

Meilan was quiet for a while. First she fought with Li, and then spent hours practicing her forms. After that she went home only to leave and hear she's being hunted. Right after that she was nearly kidnapped. Lastly, she practically ran all the way to the apartment. 'I guess that would wear someone out,' she thought. A moment later, Heero left and came back with some bandages.

"Might as well redo your bandages before the wound gets infected," he explained.

"I can do it myself," Meilan said. If there was one thing she hated, it was feeling like she was being babied. Heero just shrugged and handed the materials to her. Then she promptly left the room.

"She's stubborn," the stoic man replied.

"I could have told you that," Wufei replied.

Meilan undid the upper part of her dress to get to her shoulder. Underneath was a tight fitting tang top. Once she unwrapped the bandage, Meilan quickly washed the wound before trying to rewrap it. Unfortunately, it was harder than she thought. There was still a little pain. And constantly harassing the wound didn't help at all. "Damn bandage," she grumbled. A pair of hands suddenly took the bandage from her.

Meilan glared at Wufei. "I can do this myself!"

"Don't make it harder than it should be," he replied brusquely. Meilan began to protest but thought better of it. Instead, she just looked away stubbornly. Wufei ignored her and quickly wrapped the cloth snug around her arm. Then he put the left of supplies away and left.

"You're welcome," he said as he left her sight. Meilan didn't say anything as she fixed her dress again and joined the two men.

"Now what?" she asked.

"It's over…for now," Heero said. Before she could ask, he continued, "That man with the face wound was found dead. His name was Chein Hwan. Our back up teams arrived in time to catch a most of the assassin team. We hope they'll give away their leader. The chief said he's elsewhere. From the looks of it, L5 is cleared. Until then, we're done here."

Meilan nodded. 'I'm glad that's over for now. But what about…?' "I see," she said. "So you'll be leaving soon."

"I'm leaving in a couple of hours," Heero said. It was when he said that that she noticed the room was clean of papers and the two duffle bags lay packed.

"Only you?" Meilan asked.

"Heero is going to leave with the rest of the teams," Wufei said. "I'm the only one staying behind."

"Why are you-" Meilan began to ask when Wufei cut her off. He stood up along with Heero.

He spoke, "Before much more happens, Master Long wanted to see you whenever you were ready." Before she could stop herself, Meilan groaned out loud. The two men look at her, amusement in their eyes. Instead of commenting, they continued on their business. Heero picked up his bag and left the room promptly. Wufei lingered.

"I'll escort you to the Hall," he said. "And no arguments." She glared at him. At the moment, she wanted nothing more than to argue with him, to put up a fight. Of all things, she hated to be bossed around like that. Than again, there was no point in arguing. When she thought about it, if he was around for her 'favorite topic', maybe something would get accomplished.

"Fine," she muttered. Nothing else was said as they left the room. It was a rather short trip to the hall, only taking 15 minutes to get there. It occurred to Meilan that they sort of stuck out in the crowd, her more than Wufei. Her dress was dirty and torn. No to mention her overall appearance was a bit ragged. Yet she fit in a little easier with the traditional Chinese setting. Wufei wore jeans with a dark blue T-shirt. He left his Preventer's jacket at the room, seeing as he was off duty now. No one bothered them though.

The Elders were gathered in the Hall when the two arrived. Meilan bowed before them, as did Wufei. Strangely, Wufei kept a small distance from the Elders and Meilan, as if hiding in the shadows. He also kept his silence.

Once the Council were done observing her appearance, Master Gin spoke, "We're happy to see you alive and well, Chang Meilan. Unfortunately, we wished to speak with you on an old, tiring matter."

"With all due respect but could you all get off my case?" she asked, trying to hold in her impatience and frustration. Some of the Elders glared at her.

Master Long coughed to break the budding tension. "Meilan, please, that is enough. The matter with the Preventers is over. Now we can get back to the marriage dilemma. When we told you that you were to be married to Li Ling in three weeks, you were extremely ornery about it." Meilan gave a soft smirk at this. Master Long ignored it as he went on. "And when we told you this, we also believed Chang Wufei to be dead or at least that he would never step foot on this colony again. However, that's changed. Wufei, I believe you know most of the details of this matter." Wufei stepped up beside Meilan, still a few feet from her.

"Yes," he said.

"We're down to this, Meilan," Master Chein said. "You have three days with Chang Wufei to come to a decision. Between you two, decide if you will continue to be married or to have if annulled. Should you choose the latter, the marriage between Li Ling and you will go on as planned. If you don't wish those three days, say so now. What will it be?"

It took all of Meilan's self control not to look towards Wufei. She shouldn't need him to make a decision! "I'd like to take the three days with this." The Elders nodded and dismissed them. Once outside, Meilan finally turned to Wufei.

"Are you staying at the motel or the house?" she asked.

"Only if you want me in the house," he replied.

"It's your home, too," she pointed out. He gazed at her.

"Was," he corrected softly. She didn't reply to that. Finally, he left to grab his things while Meilan went back to the house to clean up.

-----------------------------------

Day One:

Meilan woke up the next morning feeling down. The light filtered into her room in thin rays. Thankfully, she remembered to cover the windows with the blinders. She hated bright light in the morning. Looking at her clock, she saw it was eight thirty. What's wrong with her? Since when did she sleep this late? She quickly got up and pulled on a pair of dark blue pants and buttoned up a matching shirt. After brushing her hair an slipping on a pair of indoor shoes, she left the room. Wufei was nowhere in sight. Once in the kitchen, she already found breakfast waiting for her.

"Glad he thought of me," she muttered.

She didn't see Wufei until late afternoon, around four o'clock. She was practicing in the field when she saw him walking over to her. Like yesterday, he wore jeans and a T-shirt, though this one was black.

"Thanks for waking me up," she grumbled, returning her attention to her practice.

"You needed some rest," he replied.

"Whatever. By the way, where were you this morning?"

"Visiting some old friends," Wufei said. He took a place in front of her. Before she knew it, Meilan found herself sparring with Wufei. He was just as good as she remembered, if not better. Unlike the last and only time they sparred, his blows weren't meant to knock her down hard. In fact, he executed moves that forced the young woman to counter with forms she was weak in. It appeared he remembered her well enough. The spar went on for nearly fifteen minutes before they called it quits. Both were winded, Meilan more than Wufei.

"You have definitely improved," he complimented.

"Same with you," Meilan said. She sat on the ground and relaxed. Her eyes were closed, bathing in the slight breeze as Wufei joined her. The two just sat there, actually enjoying each other's company for once.

"Let me ask you this: what do you want?" Wufei asked, not looking at Meilan. She turned to him, puzzled.

"What do you mean 'what do I want?'" she asked.

"When you look at the situation, you're stuck. It's either keep your marriage with me or be remarried to Li. The Elders won't let you pick your future." He finally turned to look at her.

The woman beside him sighed deeply. "You picked your life, rough as it probably is. I would love nothing more than to run away and live my own life. But I can't. You're right. It's down to who I can tolerate and live my life with. Personally, you fit both. At least I learned how to put up with you." Wufei chuckled softly at her remark. She looked at him

"You know, that's the first time I have heard you laugh," she noted.

"Well, it's been a while since I laughed," he said.

"What about you? What do you want?" As she expected, he did not answer right away. It was nearly three minutes later until he answered.

"I'm not sure, to be honest," he said. "In some ways I am content with my life. The war is over. I am working with old friends in an area I'm familiar with. Yet, I know I'm still connected to this place. My family, friends, you… I have no idea what I want to do from here."

"So you could care less about staying with me or not," Meilan said in a inquiring tone.

"That's what I am not sure about," Wufei said. "Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against you. It's all in the past. It's just that I'm not sure about living away from the colony, separated and tied up."

"I see what you mean." She sighed and said, "I do not about you but I felt like we met the wrong way. What if we had met on our own terms? Would things have worked out better?"

"Hard to say. We are pretty stubborn and don't like being told what to do with ourselves. It was…restraining, I guess."

A silence fell over the two. Finally, Wufei stood. "I'll be back at the house. Later." Then he left Meilan to her thoughts. She sighed and lay down. 'Now what?"

--------------------------

DayTwo:

Like yesterday, Meilan spent the morning alone. Later that day, Ailin and Lana invited Meilan over to Lana's home for the afternoon. It wasn't often they spent time at Lana's house. Her husband was pretty grouchy about having Lana's friends over. A delicious lunch with tea while discussing (more like gossiping) everyday things was not Meilan's favorite thing to do. She did it anyway.

"You should have seen that beautiful dress Meilan wore the other day," Ailin gushed. "I loved the colors."

"I would love to see it," Lana said. Meilan shook her head.

"Sorry but it was ruined when I was attacked," she said unremorsefully. Ailin looked disappointed. Meilan silently braced herself.

"Oh dear, that's so sad!" Ailin whined. "How can people do that? It is absolutely unthinkable that those people attacked you. You're the granddaughter of one of the clan Elders, for goodness sake!"

Meilan wanted to hit Ailin upside the head but it would not help. "Ailin, quit it. It's because I'm related to an Elder I was attacked. Give it a rest. I'm fine now."

"You never did tell us completely what happened that night," Lana said.

"What's there to tell? On my way to 'see' the Elders, I overheard a few people plotting. I ran and met some man. Chein Hwan I think. Anyway, he attacked me. I fought back. Then I ran to the motel where the Preventers were staying. That's all there was to it!" Meilan said impatiently.

"Alright, calm down, Mei," Lana said, raising her hands in defense. "I was just worried about my friend that night. Nothing to it."

"Sorry," Meilan muttered.

"On to other matters, have you heard about Kyle Law? He's supposed to be engaged to a foreign woman from Earth. I heard his parents totally blew up!" Ailin giggled girlishly.

"I heard about that. From what I hear, that means his family will disown him. Sad, really."

Meilan quit listening after that. That reminded her of her current problem. Her family would not disown her if she stayed married to Wufei right? In fact, they originally proposed the marriage. But now things have changed. Wufei had changed. Her family probably wouldn't recognize him as their son-in-law. She supposed that before she made anymore decisions she ought to speak with her parents. That thought distressed her to no end. She hated them for the marriage. And she might hate them all over again if they tried to break it. How fate is cruel.

"-Meilan? Hey, did you hear us at all?" Ailin asked, waving a hand in front of her friend. The two watched as Meilan shook herself out of a daze.

"What?" she asked, a little confused. The two women sighed.

"We were asked about your marriage to Li Ling," Lana filled Meilan in. Meilan's puzzled countenance turned into a glare.

"If things go well, I won't be marrying him," Meilan said.

"What! Why?" Ailin and Lana said in unison.

"The Elders said if Wufei and I want to stay together, they'll allow it. It's our choice, not theirs."

"Wow, there's a first," Lana said. "The Elders almost never give anyone much choice of a matter like that. Why the special treatment, Mei?"

Meilan shrugged. "They probably guessed if they didn't give me a slight choice, they would find the wedding short a member."

"Curious but why would you choose Wufei over Ling? Sure, he's handsome but not like Ling. Ling's probably much stronger and he lives here. Add to that he has a warmer personality. Sorry Mei but you are best off with Ling." Lana looked at her friend softly. Meilan just rolled her eyes.

"He's all yours then," she retorted. "And for your information, Wufei is not that cold. Just…distant. He was in the war after all. I think that alone puts Wufei over Li. War changes people. It may not look like it but it does. So back off, okay? In the long run, I would get along better with Wufei. Li's possessive."

They were silent for a moment. Then Meilan stood. "I have to leave. There are some things I have to take care of. Bye." Without waiting, Meilan turned and left.

When Meilan walked in the door, she found Wufei wearing traditional clothing. She was about to ask when he said, "Your parents invited us over for dinner."

Meilan looked at the clock and saw it was close to the usual time her parents ate dinner: five thirty. Nodding, she hurriedly changed into a simple blue and white dress. Within minutes the two were walking to where the Long family lived. Outside, Meilan was calm and passive. Inside, on the other hand, she was cringing at the idea of meeting her parents. It scared her. Before knocking on their door, Meilan breathed deeply. 'Here it goes…'

Dinner went rather well for the most part. Meilan, for once, did not have to use all her restraint to keep herself from strangling her 13 year old brother. Shen behaved properly. Her parents were their usual formal selves. The conversations were light and formal as well. Meilan tried to squeeze herself into the larger conversations, which Wufei kept as quiet as possible with. The end of dinner was rough: Mr. Long brought up a question for Wufei.

"I'm curious but when did you start in the Preventers Organization?" he asked. Wufei was silent for a moment before answering.

"A year after that war," he said. "I was invited by a friend of mine."

"I'm guessing you have met your friend in the war," Mr. Long said. "It sounds like a busy job."

"Sometimes," Wufei said.

"So do you work in teams or alone?" Mrs. Long asked, sipping her tea.

"It depends. Normally we're in pairs," Wufei answered. "Most of the time I'm with Sally Po. On special assignments I could end up with someone else or a team. The only times I could think of when we go solo is when we're acting as solo bodyguards or doing some one person task."

"Sally Po? Who's she? I know she's your partner," Meilan asked. She ignored the exasperated glare from her mother.

"We met at the beginning of the war in China," Wufei said. "She was an Alliance Major before leading the guerillas. She helped Lady Une start the Preventers."

"These women sure have a hand in the military," commented Mr. Long. "I've always believed military should be handled by men and housework by the women."

"I've seen otherwise," Wufei stated.

"From what I understand, there were many women involved with the war," Meilan said. "Relena Peacecraft, Ms. Po, Lady Une, Dermail's granddaughter, Ms. Noin. So much happened because of them."

"Look at the trouble it's caused," Mr. Long said. "Like I said, leave war to men. Things would have done better without those people getting involved."

"Actually, Meilan has a point," Wufei said. "Relena created the ESUN, and still runs things. Chief Une, Sally, Noin…they started the Preventers and helped in key events during the war. Things would have been worse if not for them."

"If you say so. It's all in the past. What we should be talking about is the future." Mrs. Long looked pointedly at her daughter, who rolled her eyes. She ignored the gesture and continued, "Master Long informed us about their decision. We're wondering what you two were planning?"

The younger couple was silent. Finally, Wufei spoke, "We're still talking about. Nothing's been decided."

"I see," Mr. Long replied. He glanced at his wife. Meilan was uneasy with the glance they shared. She only hoped it was paranoia.

That evening was thankfully parent-free for Meilan. It was also another opportunity to talk with Wufei. She was hoping to find him and talk to him. No such luck. Instead, he found her first and started that talk. She was reading in the living room when Wufei sat beside her.

"This is new," he remarked.

"Oh shut up," she muttered. "I can enjoy a good book now and then. You don't have room to talk."

"Actually, I haven't had the time to read a lot lately," he stated. "Work's been busy."

"So I've noticed," Meilan said. She closed her book and set it down. She looked at Wufei. He wasn't looking at her. Rather, he seemed to be deep in thought, gazing into space. Meilan didn't bother him.

"I'm leaving tomorrow night," he said. "Sally called and said she'll meet me at L3. They probably have a lead on the head assassin. The shuttle leaves at three thirty-five am."

"I see," Meilan said quietly. "Where does that leave us?"

"Stuck," he said. "If we stay together, we'll still be separated. I can't stay here."

"I don't blame you," she murmured. "You asked yesterday what I wanted. I ended up avoiding answering that. With my only choices, I prefer staying married to you. If anything, we live our own lives. We don't even have to talk to each other." She felt a hand grasp her own. Looking down, she saw him grasping her hand gently. Startled, she turned her gaze to his face.

"I know that's your choice between the two," he said, "but what do you _want_?"

Meilan silently turned away from him and stood.

"Meilan…"

"Why are you asking me this? You haven't even told me what you want. You have a decision to make, too. Stay with me or go solo. In my opinion, your latter option is better than mine."

Wufei also stood and walked over to her as she spoke. When he touched her shoulder she whirled around. Before she could say anything, he gently pressed his lips against her own.

She froze when she felt him kiss her. It took a few moments for the action to register in her mind. She hardly began kissing him back when they parted. Something snapped her out of her daze. Suddenly, Meilan turned and fled the room. She found herself in her room a few seconds later. Silently, she closed the door and promptly collapsed on the bed.

'What the hell was that all about?' she asked herself. Of all the things she had expected from him, kissing her was not one of them. Yet, it stirred something in her. A feeling of content. It warmed her, made her feel safe, if only a little bit. She couldn't understand it though. Why would she feel something like that now? If she loved Wufei, then it would make more sense. Her eyes widened.

'I…love him?'

------------------------------------

Day Three:

Meilan avoided Wufei most of the day. Her realization confused her. And seeing him would only make it worse. Thankfully, Wufei saved her the extra trouble of meeting and left for most of the day. Meilan spent most of the day in the small garden of her home. It's been a while since she last spent time there, tending to the flower beds herself. It soothed her, allowed her to think easier.

Main question of the day: How could she fall in love with a man she hadn't seen in years and usually fought with?

Comparing the way he was some three years ago to the way he was now, he had changed a lot. He seemed more mature and patient than before. She realized a while ago that he seemed to encourage her to be herself: wild, outspoken. But still…how do you fall in love with someone you were distant with?

Meanwhile, Wufei was visiting the colony's Preventers HQ. Someone called him saying there was a message for him there. He figured there would be time to talk with Meilan later. Now he was at the office, talking with Sally.

"I hate to disrupt your off-time but I had to talk to you," Sally said. "Lady Une just informed me that we lost contact with Duo yesterday morning. He's notorious for calling in at least twice a day. We also had an assassin get loose from the prison. We'll still meet as planned but be prepared to get busy."

"It's nothing totally new," he replied. "Send whatever information you found. I'll look it over and get completely caught up."

"Sure thing. Later," she said.

It was nearly seven in the evening by the time Wufei returned home. The work took longer than he thought. He felt bad about not spending that time with Meilan, since it was his last day with her. Sighing, he worked his way to her room. He softly knocked on her door.

"Come in, Wufei," Meilan said when she heard him knock. She had finished cleaning up for the night. Not long before Wufei came home, she had changed into a simple sleeping gown, though it was more like a silken robe.

"Meilan, I'm sorry about today," he said. "I didn't plan on staying away all day."

"Who does? You have a job to do and I guess you do it well," Meilan said. She faced away from him. "Wufei, about last night, did you mean anything when you…kissed me?"

"I hoped it did," he said softly. "Master Long told me. He told me about you during the war. I never planned on worrying you at all."

Meilan let a few tears fall. "Whatever. You weren't one to care."

Wufei winced but walked over to her. "You're wrong. I care." He pulled her into his embrace. She leaned back against him, enjoying the warmth of his arms. Finally, she turned around to face him.

"A stupid question but…do you love me?" she asked so softly, he hardly heard her.

"It's not a stupid question," said Wufei. He tipped her chin upward and leaned down to kiss her once again. Meilan's eyes drifted shut as she kissed him back. Her arms wrapped lightly around his neck, pulling him closer. When they pulled away, he whispered into her ear, "I love you."

When Wufei woke up, it was dark outside. Checking his watch, he found it was nearly two forty eight am. Less than one hour left. He turned his attention to his wife, who lay in his arms, back to his chest. He never really thought he could grow to love her like he did. It just happened. Now he had to leave her behind for a while.

Silently, he pulled away from her and dressed. He wrote something on a piece of paper and left it on her nightstand. Quietly, he left the room.

A slight breeze swept through the cracked window above the bed, sweeping across the room. The paper lifted from the table and flew through the room. It fell as the wind died, landing in a darkened corner of the room.

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Sorry for the wait. It's been busy. There is a lemon for this chapter. However, I'm a follower of rules, which bugs even me! Whenever other people break the rules, they get away with it. When I break them, I almost always get caught. So I'm not going to chance putting it up on Instead it'll be posted in the version of this story. (same story, plus lemon) It won't be posted there for a few days. School starts next week. Elda Aranel is my ID on Later!


	3. Part Three

"Three Day War"

_Part Three_

By Elda Aranel

AC 198

Meilan sat in the all too familiar flower field, deep in thought. It had been about five weeks since Wufei left. So much had happened since those three days she spent time with him. At the moment, she spent her time remembering those past events, particularly the last night she spent with him. Unfortunately, accompanying that memory was the next day's adventures, which led to others.

_Flashback_

Meilan awoke, once again thankful she had shut the blinds the night before. Speaking of which…Meilan's eyes widened as she recalled the previous night. Swiftly, she sat up and looked around. Wufei was gone. Of course, it was long past his shuttle's departure time.

Sighing, she wrapped the sheet around her as she stood. A light, dull pain was felt in her lower body. However, after a shower and walking around, it faded.

Meilan did not need to look at a clock to know she was slept in longer than usual. She had barely finished a light breakfast when her grandfather and the rest of the Elders had summoned her. It was not even past 12 and she was already facing the Elders. One would hope they would give you time to prepare for this sort of confrontation. She had a deep feeling that many people would be disappointed with her choice. Still, she wasn't going to subject herself to an ass for the rest of her life. True, Wufei was an ass himself at times, but Li was far too worse. On the lighter side, if Wufei and she did fight or something, he didn't live there. There would be plenty cool-off periods.

She did not hate just Li Ling. No. She hated the entire Li family. They were stuck up, rude, nosey, and pushy. Despite that the Long family was the head of the clan, the Lis acted like everyone should feel honored by them! The only reason people did not doing much against them was because they ended up with enough power to hold their positions. Plus they were also wealthy. No doubt, Meilan would have to face Ling's parents alone. Personally, a trip to hell would be in order.

Eager to end this mess, the young woman hurried to the Hall to meet with the Elders. Along the way, she considered who she had for support. Somehow, she felt that her grandfather would support her decision. Her parents would probably be neutral. The rest of the Elders would be fussy about it. The Changs…Meilan forgot to meet with them. She had no idea how they felt about the situation. Then again, it made it a little easier, knowing that she didn't have to worry about them.

As soon as she entered the large room, she was met by the Elders and the Li family. Her parents were also present. And, to her uneasiness, so were the Changs, Wufei's parents. Mrs. Chang gave her a small, faint smile. Meilan relaxed. She was always fond of Mrs. Chang. It reassured her to know that they would support her decision.

"Well, Meilan, I am positive you know exactly why we asked you to come," Master Long said. She nodded. "So let's hear it."

She started to speak but stopped. What this really her decision? Ling or Wufei? One always near and one always gone. Why was this suddenly so hard? She knew who she wanted. Suddenly she wondered if Wufei wanted to stay with her. Sure he said he loved her. Hell, he even proved it last night. Yet, he left without a word. She had not even said 'I love you' back. All the 'what if's' ran through her head at light speed.

"We're waiting, Meilan," Elder Gin said.

"I'm staying with Wufei," she answered blatantly. She ignored the indignant expressions of many of the Elders and the Lis. She knew the Changs were pleased, though they never would show it to everyone else.

"So be it," Master Long said. "This matter is closed."

"Meilan," Mrs. Chang called. Meilan stopped and let Mrs. Chang catch up with her. Mr. Chang let her go and went his own way.

"Good Afternoon, Mrs. Chang," Meilan greeted.

"I suppose this decision means you and Wufei worked things out between you two," Mrs. Chang said.

"I guess," Meilan said.

"He didn't visit us when he was here," Mrs. Chang said. "I know we were a bit detached from him but I couldn't help but worry over him during the war. How was he?"

"Changed," Meilan admitted. "He wasn't like the arrogant scholar boy we once knew. Being in the war totally changed him. He seems so reserved and shadowed. It makes me wonder what he went through."

"I see," Mrs. Chang said softly.

"Meilan, you get over here!" Mrs. Long snapped. "Excuse me, Lady Chang, but I must speak with my daughter." Without waiting for a reply, the stern woman grasped Meilan's wrist and pulled her away. Mrs. Chang frowned but went her own way.

"What the hell was that all about? Back in the Hall?" Mrs. Long all but yelled.

"What? Are you talking about my decision?"

"Yes I am! The Lis are an honorable family," Mrs. Long said. "I want to know why you chose Chang over Ling!"

"To make a long story short, I found Wufei a hell load better than Li Ling! Besides, I happen to like the Chang family more than the Li family." Meilan glared at her mother.

"I could care less about that. Now go back and tell the Elders you will marry Li Ling."

Meilan wrenched her wrist from her mother and stepped back. "Why should I do that? I made my choice. Nothing is going to change that." Mrs. Long promptly slapped her.

"You don't know anything," Mrs. Long said. "Who ever thought you could make a decision like this? You couldn't know what the consequences of staying married to Chang would be."

"You don't know anything!" Meilan yelled. "Just leave me alone." She turned and began running away.

"This isn't over yet, Meilan," Mrs. Long called to her.

Indeed, it was not the last Meilan ever heard of that. The Elders never brought it up but her family and friends did. And don't forget the Lis. They threw a conniption about it. Everyone was pleading to the Elders to make Meilan marry Li Ling. Meilan heard at least half of those reasons every day. Meilan needed someone to keep her in check. Chang was hardly part of the clan anymore. He would make a bad influence on her. Li would be a more respectable husband. And so on and so forth. Meilan never heard the end of it.

After the first week or so, Lana and Ailin were complaining to her that she needed someone who would at least have the courtesy to talk to her. Wufei hadn't spoken to her since that night. Meilan didn't know why he hadn't contacted her or hadn't let any information for her.

Then rumors started floating. People were saying that despite her decision, the Elders were going to nullify the marriage between her and Wufei. That left her wide open for marrying Li. As soon as Meilan heard this rumor herself, she went straight to the Elders for the truth. She distinctly remembered them saying that the topic was closed and her decision was final. Normally, these rumors were false. Not this time.

"What is this about? You said this was over with. I had the final say. What's with the change of mind?" she asked angrily.

"Meilan, we were hoping you would be in contact with Wufei Chang," Elder Hwang said. "However, this is nothing. I see this is pointless."

"He could very well be busy," Meilan protested. "I mean, he left that night only to go straight back to work."

"She has a point," Master Long said. "Please, let's leave it at that for a few more weeks. Many times take a long time to work out. Meilan, that's what you have. Three weeks to work it out. If there is no contact, despite our previous decision, you and Li will be married."

"Thank you," she said, though Meilan hated the idea.

Meilan collapsed on to her bed. Her life was beginning to suck all over again. Looking around, she thought about taking a break and cleaning the house a bit. The place was hardly dirty, since most of her time was spent out of the house. It was every couple weeks she needed to move furniture around to clean the dust from under it. Considering she had nothing better to do might as well do that.

As always, Meilan started in the kitchen and worked her way around the house. The kitchen took the least about of time, since she cleaned the place practically every day. After that were the living room, then the bathroom, and then the bedroom. Normally, this sort of cleaning only took her a couple of hours. But out of sheer boredom, she took her time and did some serious cleaning; it took most of the day. It was some time past six before she got to the bedroom.

As she moved the dresser over, she found a piece of paper lying under it. Picking it up, Meilan saw it had contact information on it. So Wufei did write his number down. The window was usually open, so the paper must have floated off. Forgetting about the cleaning, she read the paper.

_Meilan, here is my number and email so we can talk. I more than likely won't be at home or at the office for the next half a week or so. Let me know what you end up using for communicating._

_Wufei_

_Home: 5-4733-356-0003_

_Work: 5-4733-360-4556 ext: 121_

_Email: dragonpreventers.gov_

Well, she knew how to get a hold of him. Now she had to figure out when she can do that. Phones were not common around this part of the colony. They preferred living a traditional old lifestyle. Great. Just as she solves one problem, another one is waiting in line.

Lana! Of course. Meilan remembered Lana was the only person she knew that had a phone. Lana was against her decision though. But Meilan felt determined to try asking her. To be safe, Meilan copied down the numbers and left the original paper at home.

Lana was home alone once again. Her husband was out doing who knew what. She seemed happy to see Meilan.

"Mei! What brings you by?" she asked after letting Meilan in.

"Actually, I was hoping I could use your phone," Meilan said "I found Wufei's number."

"Why are you so hung up over him?" Lana asked. "I mean, why do you stay with him?"

"Different reasons I guess," Meilan said. "Please Lana!"

"Fine, fine," Lana said. "I'll make some tea." She showed Meilan where the phone was and left the room. Meilan first tried phoning him at home. The phone rang for a minute or two before the answering machine picked up. She decided against leaving a message at the moment. First she wanted to try the office before leaving a message. After she hung up, she dialed the office number he left. The phone only rang a couple of times before someone picked up.

"Hello, Preventer HQ," a feminine voice answered.

"Hello, is Preventer Chang in?" Meilan asked.

"I don't think he is," she answered. "Let me check." Because the woman forgot to cover the phone's mouthpiece, Meilan easily overheard the conversation on the other end.

"Who is it, Brooks?" asked a firm voice. A woman's.

"Some woman asking for Preventer Chang," Brooks replied.

"A name?"

"Just a moment, Chief. Ma'am, may I ask who is calling?" the secretary asked.

"My name is Chang Meilan," Meilan said.

"It's Chang Meilan," Brooks repeated to the other woman.

"Put the call through to my office and ask her to wait for a moment," the Chief said.

"Yes Ma'am. Ms. Chang, I've been asked to forward you to the Chief's office. Please hold."

"Thank you," Meilan said. The line went silent. For a few minutes, Meilan stood there, waiting for the phone to be answered again. Finally, another woman answered.

"Hello, Mrs. Chang," she said. Meilan caught what she said.

"You know me?" she asked.

"Yes," the Chief replied. "I know a lot about the people who work for the Preventers. I'm Chief Earth, or Une."

"Meilan Chang. I was expecting Wufei's office, seeing as that was the number he gave me."

"When our teams are out, we usually reroute the phone calls to the secretary. You missed Wufei by a couple of days. He may not be back for about a week," Chief Une said. "He also stated that you were injured earlier. How's that going?"

"It's fine, thank you," Meilan said.

"Well, I suggest you try calling him in about a week," Une said. "He will hopefully be back by then."

"I will. Bye," Meilan said then she hung up. Lana then entered the room with a tray of tea.

"How'd it go?" she asked, setting the tray down.

"He wasn't around," Meilan said. "I ended up talking to his boss."

"That's scary," Lana said. She handed her a cup.

"Yeah…I guess," Meilan muttered.

The next few days did not progress very well. Meilan ended up sick half the time and finally decided to visit a doctor. Some cold was going around, it seemed. Lana was sick the other day, not to mention grumpy. Usually the family doctor came to the house but Meilan detested him with a passion. And he had this thing for going to others and giving them every detail about the patient. So she opted to go to the main part of town.

It was a surprisingly short walk from her house to the doctor's office. It wasn't a busy day, since she was able to get an immediate appointment. There was one other woman waiting and two men. Meilan sat in the empty seat near the woman. She was silent as she waited. After a moment, the other woman spoke to her.

"Hello," she said. She couldn't have been any older than 19 or 20. Unlike most of the colony's population, this girl was not Chinese. Rather, she seemed more American. Her wide eyes, light brown hair, and accent gave off that impression.

"Uh, hi," Meilan said.

"I'm Samantha Hanny," she said. "You?"

"Meilan Chang."

"Nice to meet you. May I ask why you're here? I'm getting an old check up."

"Oh. I've just been sick the last few days. It's driving me crazy. It comes and goes," Meilan said, enjoying the small talk.

"Pregnant?" Samantha asked. Meilan's eyes widened. It was possible, now that she thought about that.

"You know, that may be it," Meilan said softly.

Samantha smiled. "Lucky. I was pregnant once. I had a great fiancé and all that. Then I ended up in the war for a few months, before I was unable to. On my way home, our shuttle was hit. Some, plus me, survived. But I miscarried. Then my boyfriend died in the war. It sucked a lot."

"I'm sorry," Meilan said. The other shook her head.

"Don't. It was a few years ago. What about you? Boyfriend? Husband?" Samantha asked.

"Husband," Meilan said. "He doesn't live here on the colony. Not since the war began. He works on Earth for the Preventers. I only saw him once for about a week after the war ended."

"Wow," Samantha said. "Sounds rough."

"I guess," Meilan said.

"Ms. Hanny," the nurse called. "Dr. Marrow will see you now. Mrs. Chang, Dr. Saft will see you too."

The two women nodded and let the room together. Samantha was left at one room while Meilan went to another room. A moment after the nurse left her there, Dr. Saft entered.

"Well, good afternoon, Mrs. Chang," he said pleasantly. "I see you're not with your family doctor. Problems?"

"Only that his mouth runs too much to the wrong people," she replied cynically, smiling.

Dr. Saft laughed. "I know. I'm not fond of him either. So tell me, do you have any ideas as to why you may be sick like this?" As he spoke, he did the basic check up.

"Maybe," she replied. "I thought it may be the flu from a friend. But I was sick before her. Samantha suggested I might be pregnant."

"Pregnant, huh? That's entirely possible if you spent that kind of time with your husband."

Meilan blushed slightly and turned her head away. The doctor chuckled. "Don't worry. I have some kids of my own. If you want to, we can run a couple of tests. It won't take long for results."

She nodded and he set to work.

As Meilan waited in the lobby for her test results, Samantha rejoined her.

"How'd it go?" Meilan asked.

"Dull and slow as always," Samantha replied. "They go through the same damn questions and the same tedious procedure over and over and over again. Boring! Anyway, what about you?"

"Well, Dr. Saft is running some tests to see if I really am pregnant," Meilan explained. "Personally, I like him a whole lot more than our family doctor."

"Nice," Samantha said. "Mind if I wait with you? I'm sort of eager to hear those results myself."

"Um, sure," Meilan said, glad that she didn't have to be alone. "May I ask why?"

"I don't know," Samantha said "I guess it reminds me of when I found out about my pregnancy. Besides, you may seem calm and cool about it now but when the results do come in, it gets to you."

"Did it get to you?"

"Yeah. I thought I was pregnant. I was excited at the idea. Same with Jake, my boyfriend. When I went to get professional tests taken, I was cool and fine. But then they did come, I was a nervous wreck. It's one thing to tell your self that you're with child and it's another to have someone else tell you," Samantha explained. "Jake was the same. There's something about a professional telling you you're pregnant that makes it a complete reality."

"I see what you mean," Meilan said. "I'm glad you're here. It's been a while since I could talk to somebody who wasn't against me."

"You can't mean that you have no friends!" Samantha exclaimed. "A beautiful, sharp-witted girl like you?"

"I do but they're sometimes not the best of friends. During the war, I had my best friend, Misa, to confide in. She could keep a secret and would encourage me. After she died, that was it. I have Ailin and Lana to talk to but they are…different. They are fine with being a perfect, domestic housewife. I would rather do martial arts than clean. And I can't confide in them or my parents. They have a gossip habit. When I can see her, my mother-in-law is a good friend. But we rarely see each other. Right now, half of the clan is against me because I chose to stay married to my husband," Meilan told Samantha. "They all want me to break it off with him and marry some weak jerk that thinks it's all about him. We're not even married and he took the liberty of bossing me around and hitting me."

"I don't know any of these men but I'm suddenly compelled to support you," Samantha said.

"Mrs. Chang, we have those results," Dr. Saft said as he walked into the waiting room. He gestured for her to follow. Meilan followed him. Samantha was with her. Once they were inside the room, Dr. Saft looked over his papers.

"Both tests came in positive," he said. "Congratulations."

"Wow," Meilan whispered. Samantha was right: it seemed so unreal yet so real all at once. Reality did hit hard. She was going to be a mother.

Once he let it sink in, Dr. Saft continued, "If you prefer it, I could perform your checkups instead of your family doctor."

"Yes, I'd like that," Meilan said. After everything was set for her next appointment, Meilan left the hospital with Samantha. Once they were out, Samantha let out a small squeal and hugged Meilan.

"That's so cool, Mei!" she said. "Let's go out for lunch!"

Meilan smiled and nodded. "Okay." As they walked down the street, they two chatted constantly.

"You know, this is kind of frightening," Meilan said. "It's like what if I'm not a good mother or something goes wrong."

"I said all those exact same things to myself," Samantha said. "It's sticks on for a long time. It takes a lot of getting used to."

"I'm also scared of what Wufei will think," Meilan added.

"That's a classic," Samantha said. She led Meilan to a small coffee shop.

_End of Flashback_

Now Meilan sat in the field. Samantha and she were best friends now. Half her time was spent with the American woman. Since Misa died, Meilan found she couldn't trust or confide in anyone. It was great having someone she could connect with. Not to mention it gave her a chance to be away from the family and other clan members. She also had multiple chances to talk with Wufei, via phone and email.

Still, in all of those talks, she said or hinted nothing about her being with child. Always at the last minute, she decided against telling him. Now she was three months along and thankfully not yet showing.

Sighing, Meilan broken her train of thoughts and stood. The daylight was dimming more quickly than she anticipated. As she walked home, she was met by her grandfather, Master Long.

"There you are, Meilan!" he exclaimed. "Everyone has been looking for you for ages. Where have you been?"

"At the field," Meilan replied. "What is it?"

"Well, the ESUN's president, Horace Moorson, is hosting a large celebration for the nation's anniversary. He has invited the representatives and their family from each colony."

"Let me guess: we're going?" Meilan said. Master Long nodded.

"Indeed. Your parents, you, and I are going," he confirmed. "We leave day after tomorrow."

"What? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"We tried but a certain young lady kept disappearing," her grandfather retorted. "Good night, Meilan."

"Goodnight," she said. _Sounds like a 'shopping spree' with Sam, _she thought with an ominous unease.

Meilan went to Sam's house the next afternoon. She would've gone in the morning but she learned the Samantha never got up early. Does one know how dull it is to talk to someone who acts like a wall? It is very dull. Of course, Sam greeted Meilan with her usual American enthusiasm by afternoon.

"Mei! How's it going?" she said cheerfully.

"Okay," Meilan said. "Listen, my family's going to Earth for a big ball."

"Are you going to say what I think you're going to say?" Sam asked hopefully. In her eye was that evil glint that Meilan had learned meant danger. Americans were like that.

"Yeah, I need a little help with shopping," Meilan said slowly and warily.

"Yippee!" Sam jumped for joy. "Shopping! Hang on. Let me get my purse." Faster than lightening, Sam ran up to her room and came back down with her purse on her shoulder and a stylish denim jacket on. She grabbed Meilan's arm and pulled her along.

The rest of the day was shopping, which Meilan actually enjoyed. Samantha made things enjoyable for her. The first stop was a simple clothing store that Samantha loved, Jetta's Styles.

"What do you need for this thing?" she asked, looking around.

"A formal dress or two," Meilan said, grimacing a little. She hated dresses to an extent. Sam laughed. Meilan ignored her and continued. "Grandpa never went over what we're doing. So I have no idea what to get."

"Social functions usually require formal wear. And maybe you'll be down there for a little sightseeing. So you'll need some casual wear. Let's start with the dresses." Sam led her to the section of the store that held dresses. She looked over the first rack and at Meilan.

"I guess we should figure out what color would look good on you," she suggested.

"Hello, Samantha," said the store owner, Ms. Jetta. "How are you?"

"Fine. This is my friend, Meilan Chang," Samantha said. "We're looking for some new clothes for her."

"Really? What kind of clothes?" Ms. Jetta asked Meilan.

"Some formal wear, mostly," she replied. "I'm going down for the nation's anniversary party."

"Wow," Ms. Jetta said. "So you're looking for a few dresses?" She walked over to the rack and looked over a few.

"I personally think red, black, or a dark blue would match you nicely," Ms. Jetta said. "I think I can guess your size." After a few minutes, she had pulled five dresses. The first was a maroon red, strapless. Simple and elegant. The next dress was a navy blue with one inch straps. The neck line was rounded and showed the slightest cleavage. It, too, was slim and simple. It also had a silken sash around the waist. The third was just like the blue dress, only a deep violet. The fourth was a two layered dress. The outer layer was a fine black sheer with solid rose designs all over it. The under layer was a rosy red silk fabric, showing through the black layer. It gave the dress two colors at once. It also had spaghetti straps. The last dress was a silk black dress that fit tightly to the body. It had off the shoulder straps. It also came with a black sheer shawl.

"These are gorgeous," Sam said.

"Now we have to figure out the best ones," Ms. Jetta said. "What do you think we should try first, Meilan?"

Meilan gazed at the dresses. She wasn't too fond of the violet one. The maroon, black and red, and black silk dresses were her favorites so far. "It's a hard choice to make."

"It always is," Ms. Jetta said. "Why don't you try them on? Whatever looks good can easily be the worst dress." Meilan nodded. Ms. Jetta showed her to the dressing rooms. She came out wearing the silk black dress.

"What do you think?" Ms. Jetta asked. Meanwhile, Sam was drooling, in a sense.

"I think it's perfect," she said.

"I like it, too," Meilan said. "It feels nice."

"It's a prefect dress for dinner parties," Ms. Jetta commented. "Try the others."

A moment later, Meilan showed them the maroon dress. Ms. Jetta nodded. "Simple and sweet. How about you, Samantha?"

"The design is nice but I'm not crazy about the color," Sam said.

"You never liked red," Ms. Jetta retorted. Meilan left and came back with the black and red dress on.

"Not bad," Ms. Jetta said. "It was better than the maroon."

"I think so, too," Sam said.

"So the black dress and this one have it?" Meilan asked. The two women nodded. Next on the list was something for meetings or whatever. Meilan found a black, knee-length skirt and two white blouses. They both came with black dress-jackets, one grey lined and the other black lined. They also bought a pair of black heels that went with everything. That was the extent of their shopping at Jetta's Styles. After that, Sam dragged Meilan to the next store she knew, Flare.

"This is place is big," Meilan said.

"Yeah," Sam agreed, "and it has just about everything we'll need."

"Which is…?" Meilan prompted.

"Well, we still need a few casual outfits for you and a few needed accessories." Sam winked and Meilan shuddered. She was going to regret this.

Sam pulled her around. "If you hate skirts, then we'll need to find some nice pairs of pants. I doubt you'll need a Chinese dress down there. And there are so many styles. What do you think? Low rise, high rise? Flares, straight legs, capris, boot cut? Denim, cotton, khaki?"

"Sam!" Meilan said. Sam stopped talking and looked at her. Meilan sighed. "You know me. I know about modern fashion like you know about martial arts. And that's not a lot, you know."

Sam blushed sheepishly. "Oh, right. Sorry, Mei. Let's just browse and see what we find."

"That's better," Meilan said. "Just remember I'm part of the colony's delegation. No inappropriate clothing." Sam sighed and snapped her fingers.

"Oh darn," she said with false disappointment. Meilan rolled her eyes. They did browse around. On and off Sam would hold an article of clothing out for Meilan to look at. Eventually they were laughing, looking at wild styles, wondering what would look good on whom. Forget that hours passed by. Forget that they had other things to do. Forget life and have fun.

As they shopped around the store, the two women ran into, literally, Sam's other friend, Cherish Sorena. She was African American, with bright grey eyes. Unlike Samantha, Cherish was not as…energetic.

"This is Meilan Chang," Sam said. "We're shopping for some new clothes for her."

"What for?" Cherish gazed at Meilan, curious. Meilan sighed.

"I'm going with my parents and grandfather to Earth for that peace ball," she replied, liking the dark skinned girl.

"Sounds like fun. Loads of politicians talking about a load of politics. I can't think of anything better to do." The sarcasm was evident. Yes, Meilan would definitely get along with Cherish.

She laughed. "I know what you mean."

"Hey, your husband works at the capital, right?" Sam suddenly spoke. Meilan looked at her friend.

"Yes," she answered.

"Wouldn't he be at this thing? I mean, the war heroes usually attend these things, right?" Sam looked at her friends.

Meilan had to laugh. "Wufei? At a social function? Please, that's a joke. He's not one for attending these things. Besides, he'll probably be working."

"Still, there is a chance of meeting him. And you know how to contact him if he isn't working," Sam pressed.

"So we'll have to find something that'll look perfect on you," Cherish joined in.

Meilan was officially scared. Now she had two girls dragging her around the store, dressing her up like a Barbie doll. _This was _not_ my most brilliant ideas_, she thought wryly.

It was evening before they returned to Sam's house. Sam made dinner while Meilan packed the newly bought clothing in the suitcase Sam insisted she used. Meilan would be putting a couple of belongings in later but most of the stuff was already bought. When she had finished, Sam served dinner, during which Cherish and Sam talked their mouths off. Something popped into Meilan's mind as they chatted.

"Sam, how do I hide the fact I'm pregnant from everyone, since I'm staying in the same room as them?" she asked.

"You're not showing for a while yet," Sam replied.

"But I'm still getting sick," Meilan reminded her. Samantha's mouth formed an 'o' as she knew the problem. Cherish looked thoughtful.

"Maybe you can say it's something you ate if they catch you," she suggested. "There has to be food down there you won't like and claim to be allergic to, maybe. Plus you may never have seen any of those foods. You are living in a Chinese culture."

"Or I could just tell them," Meilan offered. Sam gawked at her.

"Um, Mei, you mentioned that your parents hate your husband," she said. "I could only imagine what they would do if they knew you were pregnant with his kid. Don't forget that you're stuck with them for a week straight."

"Yeah, you're right," Meilan said. "I'll trying sticking with Cherish's suggestion."

The next evening, Meilan met her family at the shuttle port with her suit case and a small carry on bag. Unlike her family, who wore traditional clothing, Meilan wore clothing chosen by her friends. That included black slacks, boot cut style, and a sky blue blouse. Cherish also decided to 'test' the make up and play with a pair of hair chopsticks. Her parents looked at her in contempt. Her grandfather, on the other hand, thought that she looked lovely.

Throughout the first part of the flight, she never spoke a word to her parents. In fact, they both fell asleep, much to Meilan's joy. The shuttle was due to dock at L2 colony 3B0833-Soloris before making its decent into Earth's atmosphere. Meilan, bored out of her mind, read a book until the shuttle docked. It was silent before many of the passengers disembarked. Only a few people boarded again. One person happened to come as a surprise.

"Wufei?" Meilan said. He stopped and stared at her.

"Meilan? Do I want to know why you're here?" he asked.

"That anniversary celebration," she replied, softly, so she didn't wake her parents. She also looked behind Wufei, and noticed there was no one behind him.

"You're being drug to that as well?" he asked.

"You sound like you're going too," Meilan added. He nodded. "Where are you coming from? I thought you were on Earth, not in space."

"We were sent to Soloris to track someone," he said, then he looked pointedly at a blonde woman ahead of him, "but it was a failure courtesy of a certain blonde."

"I heard that," Sally said.

"Is that Sally Po?" Meilan asked.

Wufei nodded. "Yeah. Anyhow, I'll chat with you more later." He left to his seat by Sally, who was glaring at him for the blonde remark. Eventually the shuttle was launched again. Meilan saw Wufei working on some project on his laptop while Sally either slept or chatted with him. Other than that, she was left alone for the rest of the trip.

"So who's that girl? Meilan, right?" Sally asked.

"Yeah," he replied.

"And you had to call me a damn blonde in front of her?" she snapped. He wasn't at all fazed.

"I was being honest," he merely replied innocently. She scowled and left it at that. There was no need to cause a scene on the shuttle. She looked over at his computer screen and groaned.

"Is work all you do?" she asked.

"Those reports will have to get done sometime," he stated. "Might as well do them while sitting around for a few hours."

"Well, I'm taking a long wanted nap," she retorted. "Later."

The shuttle landed smoothly, and within half an hour, everyone was disembarked. Wufei and Sally caught up with Meilan and her family as they worked their way out of the port. The place was unusually busy, since there were three shuttles entering port and two of them were due to leave again in however many hours. As the Long family waited at the door for their ride, Sally handed a set of keys to Wufei.

"You're driving," she said with a laugh as she hurried off.

"Thanks a lot, Sally," Wufei said sardonically. He turned to Meilan. "When you find out where you settling at, let me know."

Meilan nodded and watched him leave after Sally. They were driving off when a taxi came up to them. She was silent as they were driven to the hotel where they would stay at for the next. Most of the ride, Meilan looked out the window at the new sights, all the time feeling the burning glare of, most likely, her mother.

Meilan never saw such magnificently built, tall skyscrapers. Half seemed to be all glass. Teenagers not much younger than her were wandering about, gossiping and laughing freely, something she had never done before, expect that latest shopping trip. She never even attempted anything of the sort with Mira. They were staying in the business part of the city, so Meilan saw no large neighborhoods or schools.

All the streets were busy; supposedly it was rush hour number one or two. Small crowds of people moved up and down the sidewalks, some walking a dog or just strolling around.

"First time to a big city like this, Miss?" the cab driver asked, glancing at her through his rear viewing mirror as he waited for a green light.

Meilan nodded. "It is."

"Well, not all parts of the city are this crowded," he offered. "An hour or so drive can take you to the beaches or the outskirts of the city, which are both nice." Green shined ahead of them; the cab driver began cruising down the street to their hotel, which began to appear.

"There seems to be too much to do here," she stated.

"And don't try doing it all," the driver warned her. "Then you get nowhere."

"Now where does that sound familiar?" Master Long asked lightly. Meilan smiled.

"How long are you folks here for?" the driver asked.

Meilan beat her parents to the reply, "A week. Most of it is probably booked though."

"There are a few open days," Master Long stated. "I couldn't image what we could spend that time doing."

"Well, from what I have heard, the High State Hotel has a great directory for activities and such for its guests. Speaking of which, we're here." He pulled up into the drive through. An attendant brought a cart out to carry in their bags. Meilan bid the driver farewell and followed her family into the hotel. There were multiple nationalities, so to speak, in the room, easily identified by their clothing styles. Meilan spent her time gazing around at every detail as her parents checked in. Everything was a daze to her.

Their suite had three rooms, one for Master Long, one for her parents, and another for Meilan. There were also two average sized bathrooms and a wide open living room. The colors were warm and pale, consisting of greens and white, trimmed occasionally with blues. It was three levels up. Once they were settled, Master Long spoke to the family.

"The rest of the day is free, so I suggest resting up," he said, looking at an agenda. "Monday we are attending a formal dinner with Senator Alderson at 6:30 pm. Tuesday, Senator has invited the L4 C6723 colony representatives and us on a tour of the city. He didn't specify where we'll be visiting. That'll take place in the morning at 8:00 am to about 6:00 pm. Wednesday is the celebration and I have a few meetings to attend, with or without Jiang or Yin. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are all open days. We board the shuttle on Sunday."

Meilan figured she could book those three days away from her parents easily, with or without Wufei. Finally, her grandfather let her leave to unpack her suit case. She hid the three dresses in the suit case, in case her mother tried anything. It was apparent over the years, but now it was evident that she hated the modern fashions.

Meilan received permission from her grandfather to call Wufei, knowing her parents, especially her mother, were hung up over the issue. While her parents unpacked in their room, she quickly dialed Wufei's home phone number. After a few rings she was beginning to think he was not there when he finally did answer.

"Took you long enough," she said sarcastically.

"Excuse me for, literally, just walking in the door," he retorted. From the other side Meilan heard him drop something onto what was probably a table or countertop. "So where are you staying at?"

"The High State Hotel," she replied, her voice a little below normal tone.

"I know that place. Which room are you in?"

"Room 142," Meilan replied. "Grandpa told us the plan for the week. We're busy up through Wednesday. Senator Alderson invited us to dinner tomorrow and a tour of the city Tuesday. After the celebration, I'm wide open."

"Unless you have other plans," Wufei began, "I could take that last part of the week off. I haven't had a break since I was at the colony."

"As long as I'm not with my parents," Meilan said in a low tone, to prevent any chances of her parents overhearing her.

"Actually, if you are up to it, Relena invited everyone over to her place for Friday evening. I wouldn't mind if you came along," he offered.

"Who's 'everyone'?" Meilan asked warily.

"Namely the ex-Gundam pilots and their girlfriends/fiancée/whoever," Wufei said.

"That doesn't sound too bad," she replied.

"It's not formal either," Wufei added, making her day. "Just look decent."

"I can do that," Meilan said exasperated. "I'll have to give you the short version of Sam's shopping spree with me. It's dangerous shopping that girl. I haven't figured out if it's because she's American or not." Wufei laughed.

"It's an American thing for sure. I know a couple myself," he said. "Anyhow, if you just want to preplan just to fill those other two days, I can take you out and around. At least you can call them closed for other plans."

"Thanks," Meilan said. "I suppose I'll talk to you another time."

"Bye."

"Bye." Meilan hung up and thought, _'I did it again. I couldn't say a simple 'Love you, bye'.' _

Sighing, she told Master Long of her plans and left it to him to tell her parents. It would be a long week indeed. She collapsed on her bed away from home.

**Monday: **

Meilan spent mot of the next day at the hotel, exploring or reading. An hour and a half before the dinner Meilan began to get ready. She chose her black dress in favor of saving the red and black one for the celebration. Of course, she was no beauty and grace. Upon trying to pull the dress on, Meilan promptly fell back onto her bed.

"I'm hopeless," she grumbled.

As she managed to zip up the back, a yell was heard from the other room, indicating that her parents had a little 'spat'. Rolling her eyes, Meilan painstakingly applied a touch of make up to her face. The lightest blush gave her pale cheeks a little color. With her dark eyelashes, mascara was out of the question. Surprisingly, it only took her twenty minutes to get it right!

Realizing she only had another ten minutes before they left, Meilan tried to work with her hair. Figuring that it was just a dinner, a simple braid was all she could pull off.

"Meilan! We're ready to leave," Yin yelled through the door.

"Coming," she called back. Trying to gain any sort of balance in her black heels, Meilan picked up her hand purse and walked, more like wobbled, to the door. She stopped as her reflection passed in a body length mirror. Her figure was still slim and her stomach flat. It had not even been six weeks yet. Her free hand drifted over her lower stomach.

'That's right. I still have to tell him,' she thought. 'I can't image us as parents. I wouldn't know anything about being a good mother. Mother was certainly no role model.'

"Meilan!" Yin yelled louder.

"Coming, coming," Meilan said softly. 'Speak of the devil herself…'

"Where did you get that dress?" Yin asked her daughter as they walked out of the now dark room. Meilan shot her a glare.

"From my shopping trip with Sam," she answered tightly. Personally, she did not give a damn about her mother's fashion sense or approval. Downstairs, Meilan climbed into the limo after her grandfather, sitting down beside him. Her parents sat across from them. The limo was uncomfortable for Meilan. It held a formal atmosphere that was sprinkled with intense family tension. The ride wasn't much of a family moment. Guess what topic they landed in?

"I was out today and found a rather fascinating European Art museum," Yin said. "Perhaps we should consider visiting it this weekend before we leave. I hear there is a new exhibit this Friday. A 16th century piece they found in an abandoned church."

"I think it would be a wonderful place to visit," Master Long said.

"I'm…busy that day," Meilan said.

"Well, it's a chance for us adults to be without the teenage daughter, as an old friend said," Master Long said.

"What are you doing?" Jiang asked Meilan. "I don't recall you making any such plans with us."

Her temper flared, seemingly heating the limo a few degrees. "I'm not a baby anymore, Father. For your information, Wufei invited me to a dinner get-together with some friends of his. He's also showing me around town Thursday and Saturday."

"What? And who approved of these plans?" Yin demanded. Master Long nodded his head.

"I did," he stated calmly. "She has the right to do as she wishes. Besides, it is not like she'll be alone."

"We think she can makes choices, but you saw what the last decision she made turned out to be like," Yin scorned. The limo slowed and finally stopped. An attendant opened the door.

"No more bickering, please," Master Long pleaded as he got out of the vehicle. Meilan followed. They walked up a short flight of stairs and through a pair of open doors. The entrance was grand, with a classic European trend to the small manor's bright walls. Old paintings from the Renaissance Era peppered the walls, probably throughout most of the manor. Here and there were a few elaborate pieces of sculpted art pieces. The floor shone smoothly, the glare nearly blocking the view of a simple geometric design.

The dining hall Meilan found was just as lovely. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, bright and sparkling. A long, oak table sat in the middle of the room. Again, pictures were surrounding the room. As the Chinese family entered the room, they found the Blaine family already sat down with the Aldersons. Meilan looked intently as they were being introduced.

"Ah, welcome to my home, Shirin!" Senator Alderson piped. With open arms, he stood. "May I introduce my wife, Alyssa." The light haired woman stood to meet her guests. Her exchange with Yin and Jiang was stiff. Meilan was uneasy meeting with foreign officials. A mess was not hard to miss when she was involved with formalities.

"A pleasure, ma'am," Meilan said softly, as she shook Alyssa's hand.

"My, what a beautiful granddaughter, Master Long," Alyssa said, the title strange to her tongue. "So soft spoken and sweet."

Her parents 'humphed'. Master Long laughed softly. "If only you knew the real Meilan."

"This is our oldest, William, and our young daughter, Julia," Senator Alderson continued, gesturing to the sitting offspring. Julia nodded with a smile, her brown eyes sparkling. Her brother gave a cocky wave, earning a glare from his mother.

"And this is Senator Horace Blaine from L4 C6723, his wife, Melissa, and their daughter, Yvonne," Alderson said, pointing out each individual as he spoke.

"It's a pleasure to meet you at last, Mr. Long," Horace said.

"The pleasure is mine," Shirin said. "This is my son, Jiang Long, and my daughter-in-law, Yin Long. And this is my granddaughter, Meilan Chang."

"I glad you brought your family along," Alderson said as everyone sat down. "I hope you will enjoy tomorrow's tour, all of you."

"It sounds wonderful," Melissa said kindly. The servants brought in the soup for everyone. Meilan studied it for half a second before tasting it. She couldn't place the taste; it was forgotten as she studied her surroundings. The paintings were more varied than the ones she already saw scattered throughout the house. One was of an angel surrounded by stars. Another older painting displayed an Eden like garden. It seemed to be the center of attention, stretching the length of two paintings. After a while, their soup bowls were being replaced with a plate of steaming food, all unfamiliar to Meilan; her attention was drawn back to the conversation.

"Are you interested in art, Miss…Chang, was it?" Alyssa asked, sipping her wine.

Meilan was silent before answering, "A little, Mrs. Alderson. There are some designs that interest me."

"Well, we're stopping by the art museum tomorrow," Alyssa said. "It holds different pieces from various cultures, including ancient Chinese pieces. I admire one with a phoenix and a tiger in it. Very elegant."

"Unfortunately, we don't have many original art pieces from China on the colony," Master Long said. "Most of what is there has been made since the move to the colony."

"I see," Alyssa said. "Julia is studying art at her school. It's a pastime for hers. What sort of activities do you do up in the colonies?"

"Much of what you could do here on Earth," Horace said. "Sports, art, games, and so on."

"I usually sew and read," Yvonne said. "I'm not much for sports."

"A real lady," Yin commented. "At least there are some young people who can behave properly."

"Aside from William's occasionally ruses, the two are well behaved. I can't remember the last time I had to reprimand them," Alderson said. "What about on L5? I understand the Chinese culture emphasizes respect to elders."

"It does," Master Long said. "And it is still applied."

"Of course, there are the rebels," Jiang said.

"What about you, Miss Chang? You've been so silent," Alyssa said.

"What about?" Meilan asked.

"How do you spend your time?"

Meilan was tempted to evade the question. She felt uneasy around these formal people. "I…divide my time between martial arts and my friends. It's only been the last couple of months that I have spent a large amount of time with a couple of friends."

"Aren't you at home helping your mother sometimes?" Melissa asked. Yin tried not to choke. Her husband ignored the remark.

"No," Meilan said happily. "I've been living alone since a few months before the war."

"Oh, you have lived alone that long already?" Horace asked. "That's amazing. Not many young people can do that."

"Forgive my intrusion, but I was curious about your name," Alyssa asked. She looked thoughtful. "I noticed it's not the same as your parents. Why is that?"

Meilan noted the Master Long nodded his quick approval. "Uh, Chang is my husband's name."

"You're married?" Alyssa's eyes widened in surprise; she wasn't alone. Most of the company was surprised by this statement.

"It was an arranged marriage a few years ago," Master Long explained. "Fortunately, it has worked out well for the two. I'm only sorry my grandson-in-law couldn't attend." Yin and Jiang glared at him for a split second. They hated the mere mention of it.

"Why not?" Alderson asked. "It would have been nice to meet whoever married such a lovely young woman."

"Believe me, getting the two married was a challenge," Master Long recalled. "Quite…colorful, you might say. Anyhow, he doesn't live on the colony, not since the war began. I believe he is stationed somewhere with the Preventers."

"He's stationed here, in the capital," Meilan supplied.

"What's his name? I do recall many Oriental Preventers in the organization when I attended a special meeting of theirs," Senator Blaine said.

"Wufei Chang," Meilan said slowly. "I think he also goes by Preventer Dragon."

"Ah, rats, I can't put a name to a face," Horace sighed. "If I saw him I would probably remember. There are many young Preventers, since the organization started. Chief Earth has been quite dedicated to her work. If I must say, it has been one of the President's best contributions in his term."

"I'm sure," Yin murmured. Meilan was silent, picking at her salad. The conversation drifted away from her to politics, something that Meilan could do without. By her, Yvonne and Julia would chatter constantly, drawing her into the conversation (more like gossip). Meilan refrained from rolling her eyes, taking a sip from her water.

A sudden hissy-meow sounded out as something large landed in Meilan's lap. She started, gasping and dropping her glass on the animal as it started to crawl onto the table. When the cold water wetted its silky fur, it bolted onto the table, ran down to the end, and off.

"Oh my goodness! Are you all right?" Alyssa asked. A servant went to help clean up the mess. Meilan dried herself.

"Yeah, just startled me," she admitted.

"Wonderful, you rebel against anyone but a mere animal frightens you," Yin scoffed. Meilan glared at her 'darling' mother.

"I'm not weak as to fear a small animal," she spat back, surprising the others of how she rapidly turned into a rebelling girl with a sharp tongue. "How was I to know it would jump on me?"

"I am sorry," Alderson said. "Chester is quite an attention grabber when he wants to be. I hope he didn't ruin your dress. Cats tend to do that."

"Its fine," Meilan replied. She sat back down. It was going to be a long evening, she decided.

**Tuesday: **

Meilan awoke at the crack of dawn and shut her alarm off, to prevent it from going off later. She readily stood up and froze. A wave of nausea washed over her. Swaying a little, she moved to the bathroom, where she emptied her stomach. After cleaning up with a warm shower and new clothes, black slacks with a lilac blouse, she returned to her room for a few warm up exercises. Her family finally began to wake when she finished. Straightening her clothes and hair, Meilan went to breakfast with her family. She said nothing to her parents and vice versa. The silence was a truce for the day.

The day itself was uneventful. The morning consisted of touring the large European Art Museum and the Government House. Lunch was arranged to be at the Sanq Gardens. It was a luscious park, full of many shades of green and assorted colors of various blossoms. The wide open paths were flat and smooth, lined with grasses and flowers. Meilan found plenty of freedom among the flowers and trees. She spent lunch on her own, away from the rest of the company after a small incident.

"Don't you hate being all alone?" Julia asked, walking over to her with Yvonne.

"Not really," Meilan said flatly, turning away from them.

"Hey, tell us about your husband," Julia inquired happily. "I've never known someone so young to be married."

"I'm eighteen, if you don't mind." Meilan stared at the girls. They didn't get the hint.

"But you were married at what…fourteen," Yvonne said. "I never heard of that before.

"It's around." Meilan was tempted to do something rash. "And as for my husband, that's none of your business. I don't find it amusing to go talking about him for no apparent reason. Gossiping is just a waste of time and breathe, meant only for lowering one's intelligence. Now if you'll excuse me, I would like to enjoy the day in peace." With that she left the group behind and ate her lunch in blissful serenity.

**Wednesday**:

Meilan spent most of the early morning reading or walking aimlessly around the hotel. Her only goal was to avoid her parents. Despite that she found Cao Xueqin quite interesting, sitting on an over stuffed sofa for more than two hours was not in her comfort zone. It was more Wufei's style.

Meilan shut the book in frustration. In actuality, she doubted that reading for hours on end was Wufei's everyday routine anymore. Realization dawned on her again that she didn't know Wufei as well as she should. Sighing, Meilan hopped off the sofa and walked to the balcony. As far as cities like this go, Meilan decided, she wasn't fond of the idea of living in one in her lifetime. How does Wufei do it, considering he was raised in the same place as she was?

The phone rang, jarring her from her thoughts. Meilan walked back inside and picked it up.

"Hello," she said.

"Do I detect a hint of boredom?" a wry voice acknowledged. Meilan nearly dropped the phone.

"Wufei! I wasn't expecting you of all people to call," she said slowly.

"I have rights, you know," he retorted. "I was calling to see if you were free this afternoon."

"Other than the celebration, I have nothing to do," she replied..

"And don't tell me you would take more than half an hour to an hour getting ready for that?" he said. "It's not you, if I remember anything at all. If you have nothing better to do, want to go out to lunch? I'm off for the rest of the week and I sure as hell am not hanging around work or Heero's."

"You don't want to get drafted back to work?" she guessed.

"Not really. I'm just avoiding Sally and Maxwell for a while. The two are trying to kill each other with me in the middle. So…"

"Yes! Definitely!" she cried out enthusiastically.

"Trying to avoid your parents I see," he explained for her. She giggled.

"When are you coming?"

"I'll pick you up in half an hour, meet me out front," he told her. "Later."

"Bye," she repeated and hung up. A second later she stomped her foot childishly. _I did it again!_ she thought miserably. The cloud dissipated when she hurried to her room to get cleaned up, which only consisted of straightening her clothes and putting her raven hair in a simple braid.

She left a note for her grandfather in case he worried. Her parents wouldn't give a damn, other than the fact she was going to be with Wufei. She settled down to read another fifteen minutes before meeting Wufei out front of the hotel. She found his pulling up as she walked out the double doors. Once the car stopped, she got in and they took off.

"You have great timing," he muttered. She smirked. He asked, "What'd your parents say?"

"They don't know until they get back," she replied happily. "Grandpa will be all right with me leaving. Like he said, at least I'm not alone."

"True," he said. He noticed her smiling and a mischievous glint in her eye. "Are you out to make your parents upset?"

"No, I'm out to piss them off," she clarified. Wufei shook his head in disbelief. He turned around a corner and cruised down the street.

"All right, who's this American friend of yours?" he asked curiously. "She's obviously rubbing off on you."

"Her name is Samantha," Meilan said. "We met at the…store one day and just hit it off. She moved to the colony after her boyfriend died in the war. We spend most of the time wandering around talking. Our last trip was a shopping spree, as she calls it. It was crazy with her dragging me around and rattling on and on about different fashion styles. Then we met Cherish and she added to it."

"At least your American friend doesn't pull wild pranks off at work," he complained. "Maxwell stuck a bucket filled with red paint and glitter in it over our office door when we got back Sunday. Thankfully I was held up by Brooks but Sally went right through the door. You could probably have heard her from the colonies. After that, Sally's been more irritable than she started out as and Maxwell won't stop antagonizing us."

Meilan stared at him. "He did that? Wouldn't he have gotten into trouble?"

Wufei shrugged. "This is Duo Maxwell. He's a pro as doing stupid things and getting away with them most of the time."

"And I thought my friends were odd," she muttered. "So where are we going?" Looking out the window, she saw the traffic more spread out.

"There's a small café I know down this way," Wufei said. "I usually come here with Sally to get out of the office. It's quiet and not crowded."

"Sounds nice. I have no idea how you could live in a city this big," Meilan looked back at him.

"It takes some getting used to, especially after I traveled around most of the war." He pulled the ebony car into an empty parking spot in front of a quaint little café. They found a comfortable seat by a window that overlooked a part of the sea from where it sat. Both ordered a salad and enjoyed a quiet afternoon talking. Meilan found herself talking more than Wufei, strangely. As much as she anticipated talking about the war and his new career, they only brushed simple topics, like friends and the city.

Still, Meilan marveled that she was able to talk to Wufei instead of arguing and fighting. If anything, she couldn't get enough of talking to him. A hand waved in front of her dazed face, drawing her attention from her musing. "Huh?"

"You didn't hear me," he stated, looking at her.

"What did you say?" she asked sheepishly. He shook his head and repeated, "We better get going."

"Oh," she muttered. "Let's go then." He paid for both of them as they left the café. Wufei was pulling on to the main road when Meilan spoke up. "You're going to the celebration tonight, right?"

"You know that," Wufei pointed out, watching the road.

"I mean, have you been to any of these functions before? What happens? Is there anything I should know?" Wufei chuckled. Meilan narrowed her dark eyes.

"Sorry, but you're sounding nervous," he laughed. Meilan frowned and whipped her head around to glare out the window. After a moment Wufei continued, "Meilan, relax. If you don't what to go in with your parents, I can pick you up."

His stubborn wife turned back to him. "You will?"

"Don't expect nothing fancy," he warned her. "I just want to get this over with and get out."

"We're in agreement," Meilan replied.

"And we're getting better at this 'getting along' deal."

----------------------------------------

Sorry for the long, long wait. I finally decided to extend this story to more than three chapters. I'll be the revision later! Elda Aranel


	4. Part Four

"Three Day War"

_Part Four_

By Elda Aranel

Meilan sat at the edge of the bed, staring into the mirror. The lights shone enough to light the room's features. Her eyes flickered toward the clock and back. Sighing, she stood up. As she walked to her door, she stopped again to look at the mirror reflecting her image.

The dress fit perfectly. Her raven hair was rather fancy bun held with ebony chopsticks, courtesy of the maid who saw the Chinese woman struggling with her hair as she entered the room to pick up the towels and tidy up. Her hand drifted to her abdomen for probably the hundredth time that day. A tingle of fear ran down her spine. The idea of having a child and telling her husband were scarier than she thought possible. Right now, she felt like she could easily walk up to him and just say it. But when she physically stood before him, those supposedly easy words lodged in her throat.

"To hell with it," she grumbled. Flicking off the light, Meilan grabbed her black purse and left the room. When she exited the lobby to the outside, she found Wufei's car already waiting at the curb. He was leaning against the passenger's door with his arms crossed. It was the first time she had ever seen him in a formal tuxedo. She also most thought him perfect, a real gentleman. As she approached him, he straightened up.

"I thought you didn't take long," he stated dryly. She glared. Well, his charm needed a little help.

"Excuse me," she snapped.

"I was kidding," he replied. "I just got here a few minutes ago." A moment of silence later, they were on their way to the ball.

"I'm still asking about what I'm supposed to be doing at this thing," she said.

"Nervous?"

"No, I'm not. I just don't know what I'm supposed to do at this." Meilan directed her gaze to her husband. He kept looking forward for traffic. As usual, he didn't answer right away.

Finally he said, "All you really have to do is stand around and socialize with whoever wants to talk to you, and maybe dance a little. Pretend to be the perfect granddaughter for Master Long."

"You're kidding?" she gawked. "I came all the way from the colony _just_ to talk with a room full of rich people? I could have found better things to do."

"What? You didn't want to use this as an excuse to see me?" he teased.

"Wha…I…" she stuttered. "Yeah…that thought crossed my mind. Though I didn't expect I'd have much chance of seeing you. This is a huge place and you seem to travel everywhere. What were the odds of us running into each other?"

"You had my phones numbers," he reminded her. "But anyway, you won't be all alone there."

"What's that supposed to mean? My parents will be…" she began but Wufei interrupted her.

"I was planning on staying with you most of the evening, unless you don't want me hanging around," he clarified.

"Oh, if you want to," she said. "I wouldn't want to ruin your evening."

As they paused at the red light, Wufei looked at her like she was a complete blonde. "Run that one by yourself once more and analyze it," he said. "Then compare it to these last weeks." Meilan blushed madly, which was rare, and turned away, feeling like a complete fool. The light flashed green. He returned his attention to the road. He added, "Let me guess: you find it a little hard to remember that we acknowledged each other at a married couple?"

She didn't answer as Wufei at last parked the car in a busy parking lot. A large white, four-story mansion practically glowed. The fountain was lit and the spouting water shimmered in the crescent moonlight. Small lanterns lit the sides of the white house, illuminating a front garden of colorful roses. People in many styles of dresses and suits were entering through the heavy double doors. The walk way leading to those doors was an old fashioned stone path.

"You have your invitation, right?" Wufei asked. Meilan glared.

"Of course I do," she replied. "I'm not stupid."

He smiled faintly. "Just asking. I'm in the habit of doing that. Sally keeps forgetting the small details that I have to always ask her."

"I see. You spend a lot of time with her then." Meilan walked beside Wufei.

"You'll meet her later," he said, then added, "and she'll be better company than most people you'll meet."

They both showed their invitations to the door man and entered the room, her arm linked with his. The music was a soft, classic instrumental song. It was smooth and relaxing. Everyone was talking, some frowning and some smiling. Plenty were laughing at some memory or joke. Meilan couldn't pick anyone out of the crowd, not even her grandfather. Not many took notice to their entrance. However, only one noticed and she walked up to the couple.

Wufei noticed, right away, as Lady Une walked up to them, wearing a sleek navy blue dress. He guided Meilan in that direction, meeting with his chief.

"I was beginning to wonder if you really skipped out," Lady Une teased, "but you were only picking her up." She turned her attention to Meilan. "It's nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Chang."

Meilan shifted and returned the greeting. "And you, too, Lady Une."

"Who came to this thing?" Wufei asked.

"Everyone," Lady Une said. "All the pilots, and their dates, came. Relena is here, the president, the entire Senate and council, many Preventers, and so on. There are so many colony representatives here as well. I really must ask you to keep an open eye out for us. Every Preventer is on look out just in case of an attempt."

"It's understandable," Wufei said. "Where's Sally?"

Lady Une glanced around the room, scanning the crowd. "She was somewhere but I lost track of her. Good luck in finding her. Oh, I also heard that the ex-pilots may be getting together later tonight, probably to restore some sanity."

"True," he replied.

"Well, have fun you two," Lady Une said. She drifted off toward another couple who probably worked for the Preventers. Meilan looked around, not finding anyone she knew. There was no one.

"Looking for anyone in particular?" Wufei noticed her looking around. She looked at him.

"Not really," she said. "I don't know many people outside the colony."

"Let's work our way to there," he said, nodding in the general direction of the left wall. "I think that's where some friends of mine would be hiding around." She nodded once and followed Wufei through a wandering crowd. Without much interference, they met up with a small group of young men and young women talking. A man with a long braid waved.

"Hey, Wu-man!" he greeted with a cheeky grin. Wufei glared.

"Watch it, Maxwell," he retorted. A woman with short hair elbowed Duo.

"Knock it off, Duo," she told him. "You're in enough hot water as it is."

"What did I do?" Duo asked. Everyone stared at him pointedly. He chuckled nervously and went silent. Hilde turned to Meilan and Wufei.

"I don't think we've met," she said. "I'm Hilde. This is Duo. Feel free to kick him around."

Everyone laughed as Duo pouted. "I'm Meilan," the Chinese woman said.

"And they are Trowa, his sister Catherine, Quatre, Dorothy, Relena, and you know Heero," Wufei added quickly, gesturing to each introduced individual.

"So what do you think of Earth, Meilan?" Relena asked. "I take it this is your first time down here, right?"

Meilan nodded. "It is. Earth is more unpredictable than the colony. It's hard to believe how different they really are."

"Try constantly going between Earth and Space sometime," Relena added. "The first few rounds are exhausting."

"I wasn't too affected by the change," Meilan said. "I tend to handle that stuff better than most."

"Curious but how long have you two been married?" I know it was around the war or close to it," Dorothy asked, sipping her champagne.

"Late AC 194," Meilan said simply. Wufei just nodded. Meilan then added, "But it doesn't say much when we didn't get along for the only half a year we were together. Then a certain someone disappeared. It's just recently we're getting along nicely."

"How do you define not getting along?" Catherine asked.

The Chinese couple thought for a moment, before Wufei answered, "That usually meant we were disturbing the neighborhood peace and/or beating one another up."

There was complete silence. Even Duo was silent (again).

"Okay, now I have a new definition of marital disagreements," Duo said slowly. The gang agreed. Meilan laughed.

"Disagreements, huh? It was more like a war in itself," she said. "A dumb war at that."

Relena smiled slyly. "Mind if we steal her away for a while?" Without waiting for a reply or consent, Relena and the other ladies pulled Meilan along with them as they put some distance between the men. While the women chatted up a storm over something, the male portion of the program was left to their own devices.

"Do I want to know what they're talking about?" Quatre asked. Duo shuddered, shaking his head.

"Curiosity killed the cat, Quatre," Heero quoted. Trowa nodded in agreement.

"If something happens, then blame Relena," he said. "She's the one who seemed to be planning something or another."

"More like plotting," Duo muttered.

Wufei looked around. "This is going to be a long night." The pilots wholeheartedly agreed.

**Later that Night**

For over half the night, Wufei lost track of Meilan. It seemed that she found good company with the other women. After a while the guys split up to sift through the crowd of stiffs and rich to be a little more social and to do a little security sweep. Everyone admitted it was surprising that nothing had happened…yet. When he ran into Quatre again the blonde expressed his concerns quietly.

"If anything happens tonight, it'll probably be during the speech by the president," he said.

"Let's hope not. I'm actually enjoying the action-less evening."

Meilan found herself forgetting on how much she hated formal gathering and more on how she loved being in the company of these young women. They all had given her a brief summery of their part in the way. When asked, all she could do was say that she played the part of a regretful, pitiful wife waiting around on the colony. It was belittling to her being in the company of women who had a strong hand in the war while she sat around worrying. It didn't last long. Each one was envious of her! Even Dorothy, reputed to have had a violent personality, wished to be at home and out of the active war effort at one point or another.

"But you were all helping the guys in some way while I did nothing to help," Meilan said softly. Relena smiled.

"Actually, by keeping out of the war, you probably kept Wufei from worrying about you more. You two may not have gotten along well in the past but you both seem very close now."

"Thank you, Relena." Just then Meilan caught a glimpse of Julia and Yvonne. "Oh no. Can we walk elsewhere? Those two girls are annoying."

Hilde saw who her new friend was referring too, she nodded and started walked the opposite direction. Relief washed over the Chinese girl.

Only a few long moments later the music was fading out and the podium lit up. The Earth Sphere United Nation President Keller stood up front. The guests turned and shifted their way towards the front to listen. Wufei moved his way through the crowd, looking for Meilan. He gave up when the president began talking.

"I would like to thank everyone who is here tonight for coming," he began in a steady, loud voice. "This is a wonderful turnout to celebrate the peace we have achieved with the help of everyone here. From the government, to the soldiers, down to the last civilian, this peace is made a reality. The end of the war was a great relief.

"Now, I'm sure you're asking, why do we keep bringing up how painful memories and a horrific past? It should be buried and left alone. The point is that if we forget how painful that war was, then the chances of history repeating itself will increase until war overtakes us once more. I remember my son dying in the last part of the war. After that I swore to do everything I could to prevent another war. That is why I stand before you; the first of what will be a great line of succession of president for the Earth Sphere United Nation. This great nation is the greatest success in creating a world nation with the colonies in space.

"I have spoken to many of the colony representatives tonight, and boy, did I learn so much just from conversation. It will be even more amazing to visit each one in turn at the beginning of the New Year. Enough of that for now. Now, I would like to recognize, once more, the people who have given so much to this nation and the people.

"Lady Amelia Une, Chief Earth of the Preventers." He gestured to Lady Une in the crowd. She nodded. "This woman has been the strongest driving force behind our world and space wide defense force. A big hand for her." The crowd applauded. President Keller smiled and continued, "I would also like to thank all the Preventers…"

For what seemed to be eternity, the speech continued. The pilots slowly, and discreetly, made their way back to their corner.

"This gets old really fast," Duo said sourly. Quatre nodded. They were ready to leave. One problem remained.

"By the way, has anyone seen the girls at all since they ditched us?" Duo asked softly, looking around.

"Uh, now that I think about it, no," Wufei said.

"I saw Sally and Noin a while ago," Trowa said. "Other than them, no luck." They all looked at each other and easily told the other what their thoughts were on the matter: forget it. Women had a way of hiding very well. Without a word, the guys all slipped around the crowd to the doors. No one gave them a first glance, let alone a second. The sky outside was dark and clear, showing the colonies in the company of the twinkling stars.

"Good thing it's warm tonight," Duo said.

"We can stay here until the ladies notice us missing," Quatre said. "They'll know where to find us."

The ex-pilots stood silently, undisturbed, for a while. They didn't bother to track how much time had passed. With the lack of conversation was the feeling that it was taking forever to end. Finally people began to trickle out of the building. Out of the way in the shadows, the ex-pilots waited for their dates of the evening and such to appear. All the guests were chattering happily and looked as if the ball went perfect. Only the guys, including Quatre who was more into the formal balls than his friends, could care less about how the evening went aside from the fact nothing happened. No threats, no bombs, no assassination attempts. Talk about a treat.

"There's three of five," Duo said as he caught sight of Hilde, Relena, and Meilan in between her new found friends. It seemed like the middle-mentioned woman was enjoying not being the center of attention of the media, politicians, and bodyguards alike. Either that or she wasn't paying them any mind what so ever. Dorothy and Catherine soon followed. They regrouped and started looking for their male counterparts.

"Are you sure they're not inside still?" Meilan asked again. The girls all insisted that the guys always left early.

"Definitely," Hilde said, pointing over to the guys. "Hey, Duo!"

"Hey, babe," Duo said. "We ready to hit the road?" She nodded.

"Well, I will see you all this Friday evening," Relena said, hooking her arm with Heero's.

"I'm looking forward to it," Meilan smiled. "It was nice meeting you all."

Hilde smirked in a Duo sort of way and said, "Hey, you're one of us now. A woman stuck with a stubborn man."

All the girls laughed as they split up with their partners and left. Meilan let Wufei lead them to his car, mindful of the moving vehicles everywhere. Strangely, she couldn't stop chattering about the ball, which she was dreading since she had heard of it. Wufei opened the door on the passenger's side before seating himself on the driver's side of the car.

"Well, at least you'll have people to look for next time you're on Earth," he said lightly as he began driving back to her hotel.

"I absolutely love Hilde," Meilan said. "She's quite the character. You wouldn't believe the stories she told about Duo."

"How much you want to bet?" he asked dryly. "I think I know Duo well enough that there is nothing he can do to surprise me, except maybe remain silent and serious the entire day."

Meilan giggled before noticing they were getting closer to the hotel. The thought sobered her up quickly. Taking a long breathe, she said, "I heard Relena and Heero were engaged just recently."

"Yeah," Wufei said. "Heero doesn't go discussing his personal life with many people so not many people know about it. And if I didn't know any better, Relena and Heero would like to keep it that way for a while."

"We somehow ended up on the topic of children," she added slowly. "I guess everyone is in agreement in wanting girls. I guess their reasoning was something along the lines of not putting up with two stubborn males." She chuckled at the thought. "They probably don't care either way though." There was an awkward silence for a moment. Meilan sighed then finally asked, "What do you think about children?"

He turned right at an intersection. 'One more intersection to go before we're there,' Meilan thought. Her memory never failed, unless she was nervous or angry. She was determined to get everything off her chest now.

"That's vague question," he answered. She glared at him hard. Wufei smiled. "All right, all right. Stop glaring already. Honestly, I don't know what to say. I mean, I chose to fight and work as Preventer to give everyone a chance to live peacefully, especially the children. It's…great to see them enjoying this peacetime and I hope they grow to appreciate it." They passed through another intersection and Meilan noted she lost track of how many intersections to the hotel. Definitely nervous.

"Oh, so you didn't join up just because you were bored and had no where else to go," Meilan said with a hint of sarcasm then asked quietly, "Ever thought about having a child of your own?"

"I never really thought about it," Wufei admitted. He went silent for a moment. "The idea seems foreign but…it might be worth a try, wouldn't you say?"

She smiled softly. "Well, I suppose we'll see next January."

He was silent, gazing straight ahead. She looked away suddenly, as he pulled into a parking spot in front of the hotel. The engine went dead before he looked at her.

"If you're going to tell me something, try not beating around the bush," he said with a small smirk. Meilan narrowed her eyes then stuck out her tongue childishly. As she composed herself, her husband leaned over and kissed her on the lips. Meilan looked at him as they parted.

"Either way, that's wonderful good news," Wufei said softly, looking into her dark eyes. "It sure made my evening."

She laughed and kissed him again before they exited the car. He held an arm around her waist as they walked into the hotel. A couple of limos were arriving by then. When they at last entered the elevator, Wufei asked, "By the way, since you're still in one piece, am I to assume your parents don't know yet?"

Meilan nodded. "True, they would skin me alive. This kind of throws off any attempt they have for breaking us up and sticking me with that weak man."

"You think?" he said sarcastically. She swatted him and they exited the elevator. She opened the door with a swipe of her card-key and turned on the lights as soon as they walked through the heavy door. No one was back yet.

"I don't suppose you could stay until they get back," Meilan asked. "I would like to get this little secret of mine out before I go crazy."

"I thought you were already crazy," he joked.

"Thanks for your support. Actually, I can probably very well do this without you here. It's not a problem." Again, he looked at her, amused.

"How many times did you say that before you chickened out of telling me for who knows how many times?" Wufei asked. His eyes were lit in amusement. She stomped over to him, glaring hard.

"Nobody asked you!" she snapped. Before she could blink, her rather unpredictable husband pulled her close and kissed her fully on the lips. She didn't protest, just kissed him back. His hand slipped to her hips as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

'He's so warm and strong,' she thought through her clouded mind. It was during these moments that she took back every sour remark she made about those tragic love tales. Through out her life, Meilan always thought that love was a weaker emotion. The last years have shown her quite the opposite. It takes a strong individual to love another.

With her mind still in a haze, she didn't realize why he pulled back suddenly. Only when the door shut again did the woman really snap out of it. Her parents looked at Wufei darkly but stayed their tongues, thankfully. Master Long smiled. Wufei and Meilan broke off all physical contact.

"So you two did come back here," Master Long said. "We thought you would both split for parts unknown to us for the rest of the night or something."

"Grandpa!" Meilan exclaimed, blushing. Wufei just snickered, making her blush a few more shades of red.

"Whatever! I didn't want to spend forever in this dress," Meilan retorted. It was true. While she would wear them without much complaint, she still hated dresses.

"Well, that aside, what did you think of the ball, Meilan?" the Elder asked. "We didn't see you all evening. There were some people who wanted to meet with you."

Meilan shrugged and walked over to the coffee table to set down her purse. "I was around. Actually, I think I spent the whole evening with the girls. We walked around while chatting."

"You _did_ spend the entire time with them," Wufei confirmed. "We couldn't find you or anyone else for the rest of the evening."

"Who are these 'girls' you spent the evening with?" Yin asked. Meilan heard the disapproving tone in her voice.

"Namely Relena Peacecraft, Hilde Schbeiker, Dorothy Catalonia, and Cathrine Bloom," Meilan answered. "They're the ones I'm spending Friday with."

"I thought it was just for a late afternoon/evening get-together?" Jiang said.

"Relena suggested spending the whole day together with Hilde," their fiery daughter grinned. "They wanted to show me some of their favorite places around the city."

"Is that what Relena was plotting earlier?" Wufei asked. Meilan smiled and that was all he needed to know that there was more than he guessed. He sighed and nodded at her. His wife's smile faded. Sighing, Meilan turned to her parents who were moving to the sofa.

"Uh…Mother, Father," she said, "Grandpa. There's something I've been meaning to tell you…eventually."

"What is it, Meilan?" Master Long asked.

"I'm pregnant and due in January," she said firmly. The entire room fell silent. All any one could hear were the sounds of roaming vehicles, an occasional train sounding, and fireworks of the anniversary of the nation. Jiang and Yin sat unmoving, the former more resigned while the latter seemed to be building up steam. Master Long and Wufei shared similar expressions, of acceptance and even joy. Meilan's attention, all her energy and focus, was on one person in the entire room. Her mother.

The woman held an icy glaze over her darkened brown eyes. Even her aging skin would be tinged blue if emotion could control the temperature of the room. Certainly, the room had cooled a great deal with the elder woman's glare. Somewhere in her recent days, Meilan found herself wanting her mother's approval, her helping hand, at least. She had given up on love or care. They say a mother is a girl's best friend. But not this mother to this daughter.

Then her heart began to pound as Yin stood soundlessly. _Thump_-_Thump_ _Thump_-_Thump_. The woman stopped right before Meilan and then turned and walked into her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

A soft, yet forced chuckle brought everyone's attention back to Jiang. "I had forgotten what made us put you two together in the beginning, let alone the fact that we proposed the idea in the first place. I suppose we've been too hung up on perfection and tradition that we missed the big picture, so to speak."

"Uh…Father," Meilan was uncertain what he meant.

"Meilan, you were right from the start. We're the ones trying to mess it all up," Jiang said. Soon he, too, stood and followed his wife's trail to Meilan. He embraced her for a moment before leaving everyone in the living room.

"This is a rather unexpected turn of events," Master Long reflected gently. "My congratulations…and condolences." At their confused countenances, he explained, "You both were difficult children. I expect the worse with a child of both of you."

Wufei and Meilan laughed. She shook her head. "We couldn't have been that bad, Grandpa."

"Up until recently," he said then added as an afterthought, "My lack of sleep testifies to that. On to other matters, you'll have to decide where to go from here. Goodnight."

Without a reply, he left the couple alone in the room.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked. She sat down on the couch.

"Meilan, you're living on the colony," Wufei clarified. "I'm working full time and living here on Earth. That's where we have to work things out."

"I see your point," Meilan sighed. "You could always transfer to L5's Preventer's station or I could move down here. That's the simplest way I suppose."

Wufei shook his head and sat down next to her. "Actually, both are easier said than done. Living down here is a lot harder than living in the colony. Hell, I'm still adjusting. Chief Une won't sign me over to another station permanently. I may be able to get a temporary transfer to the colony before you're due."

"You know, I don't even know why we're worrying about it right now," Meilan said. "I'm ready to crash for the night. We have the rest of the week to worry over it."

"You're right," he said. "I'll pick you up tomorrow morning at ten."

"Fine with me," Meilan yawned. Wufei leaned towards her and kissed her softly.

"See you tomorrow," he said.

**Thursday**

Meilan lay crying against her pillow that evening. Everything went well yet everything was so wrong. Only moments ago Wufei left the room, not too happy. For once, it wasn't because of each other. No. The source of today's great misery was in the form of an icy woman who could freeze even Medusa in its place. From the moment Meilan had awoken, the day was a lost cause. She was able to get a 'good morning' from her father and Master Long but from her mother the young woman received nothing, not even a glimpse. So needless to say she was relieved when Wufei arrived to take her out.

From there, her troubles seemed to disappear. They pretty much drove around the city doing nothing but talk. They were forced to stop by his office that he shared with Sally. The said blonde had needed something that Meilan didn't bother to pick up on. It was a chance to really meet the woman who her husband had worked with for a long time. While Wufei was working quickly so they could leave again, Sally slipped into a small conversation with her.

"I nearly passed out when I heard Wufei was married already," Sally said. "He's usually such a stiff guy so it's hard to believe. Meilan laughed as Wufei glared at his 'loving' partner. Sally smirked in return and asked Meilan, "So what do you do now that the war's over?"

The one hundred percent Chinese woman shrugged. "Same as in the war, except without the worrying portion of the program. I have a few friends on the colony I spend most my time with. It's better than being chased by idiots."

"So true," Sally replied. "I'm always surrounded by idiots. And what do you know, they're all males."

Meilan laughed. "There must be an upside to working here."

"Oh there is," Sally answered. "I get to watch Duo prank people. It's only until he gets me that I hate it. Actually, you won't believe the immaturity of many people here."

"Sure I do, I mean, Duo works here, right?" Meilan joked. Both women began laughing and even Wufei chuckled. And that was how they parted, laughing. The day seemed to breeze by. Nothing else was on her mind or his than each other's company.

After a light dinner at a local restaurant, Meilan seemed to pull herself from her perfect world to reality as the sun began to approach the shadowed horizon. The woman leaned silently against the back of the seat as an equally silent Wufei drove her back. For the first time that day, she thought back to their dilemma.

"Wufei," she said softly.

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking about how to handle me being pregnant," she began. "Perhaps it would be easier if you continued working until the baby's due. I can handle it on my own. Samantha and Cherish can lend a hand. I mean, visit on your time off but I don't see why you have to always be around me."

Wufei was silent, as if he didn't hear her. Meilan was beginning to think he may not honestly answer her all at this time. Finally he said, "Are you sure about that?"

She looked at her husband. "I can handle it on my own for now. If something happens I'll let you know. It's just easier than trying to work around your work for now."

Wufei frowned. "Meilan…"

She glared at him then snapped, "Look, I'm not a weak little girl, and I don't need to be babied. You can keep working here. I can handle myself without your help."

Meilan almost turned away when she ended her small tirade but she caught the hurt in her husband's eyes. Her words came back to her and mentally she slapped herself. 'Meilan you idiot!'

"Wufei, I…" she began. He didn't look at her again.

"No," he said softly. "You're right. You can make your own decisions. I just wanted…never mind. It's your call really."

Meilan looked down at her hands in her laps. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm so independent that I can't take help even from the man I'm married to. How pathetic is that?" Wufei didn't answer her. Meilan sighed gently and remained silent.

In the parking lot at the hotel, Meilan was inclined to remain silent until he left. She began to walk towards the large double doors when Wufei grasped her wrist gently. Without a word, she left him pull her close and kiss her softly on the lips for a moment.

"I'll just visit often then," was all he said. She giggled and they walked to the hotel room. Upon opening the door the sight of Master Long greeted them first. He sat on the sofa sipping a steaming cup of tea. Meilan's parents sat by each other. Her father acknowledged them with a nod. The couple sat down as well.

"This week is beginning to pass by quickly," Master Long stated. "What did you two work out?"

The three talked for a while before Wufei's cell rang. He excused himself to answer it on the balcony for better reception. Yin narrowed her eyes and stared at Meilan. With a bitter tone, she said, "How dismal. He has the nerve to call himself your husband while he stays away to work, leaving you to your own agenda. Work before family. Pathetic."

"That's not true," Meilan replied angrily. "I have said it millions of times. I can handle it."

"You're so unruly," Yin remarked.

Meilan didn't know what to do with herself. Something inside just snapped, like she was teetering on the edge of a rotting plank. Each bitter work her mother said pushed her further off. It seemed like Meilan ran out of board and into a steaming geyser. Fuming, Meilan stood abruptly, startling everyone around her. "This was all your idea from the very start! You proposed the marriage. Now that it's inconvenient for you, you are all out against it. I'm sick of being made to play your game! For one second in your damn life, have you ever considered me a daughter instead of a stubborn pawn? I honestly doubt you have the right to call yourself my mother!"

Yin scowled and stood to face her raging daughter. Shaking a long finger she yelled back. "You ungrateful bitch! I raised you well. And yet you still defy me with every word I say. You're a disgrace to the family name. I have tried to do everything in your bet interests but you still refuse. What is it your are trying to accomplish by rebelling like this?"

"I'm just being me," Meilan cried back. "I'm not going to pretend to be a perfect, domestic doll. In fact you're bent on destroying any small amount of happiness I gain."

"How dare you speak to me like that!" Yin snapped. "You the one at fault. This living hell began because you—"

Meilan shook her head violently and shouted, "No! That's far from it. You're just blaming me for your unhappiness. Just because your life became unhappy and miserable does not make it right to take it out on me. You were scared to take control your life. I'm not."

The older woman's eyes flamed. The two men removed themselves at the beginning and stood a fair distance from the two women. Wufei had walked in at the moment, confused yet suspicious of the yelling. Yin stepped closer to Meilan. "I'm no coward. I don't know what you're afraid of but—"

"This frightens me!" Meilan yelled loudly. One could probably hear them across the hotel. Meilan gestured to herself. "I'm a mother to be without a damn mother myself. That's because my mother is too close-minded, self-centered, uncaring, and heartless to bother with anyone else."

_SLAP!_

Silence, thick and humid, settled over the room-turned-battleground of wills. The three men were still as they waited for the next move. Meilan's head was snapped to the side from the force of Yin's hand landing on her cheek. Yin's eyes were full of malice and anger at she glared at the younger Chinese woman. Without another sound, Meilan ran past Yin and slammed the door to her room. Yin's eyes didn't follow the retreating figure. The elder woman stood there, ridged and motionless. Wufei promptly followed Meilan to her room and left the three others to themselves.

"Great dragons, Yin, what have you done?" Master Long asked softly.

"I haven't done anything," Yin said stonily. "Not a thing."

Meilan's form was spread over the pale comforter of her bed, her damp face pressed into the soft pillow. Her body shook with each sob. Wufei gazed at her. Silently, he sat on the edge of the bed, stroking her back. There was nothing he could think to say. After a moment Meilan picked herself up enough to sit up. Looking into Wufei's eyes fresh tears began falling again. Meilan leaned against him, warm in his embrace.

"It's all right," he said.

"I'm not living…_hic_…on the same colony…_hic_…as that woman," Meilan whispered, wiping her tears away, smearing them on her face. "I'd rather take on living down here than stay up there any longer."

He nodded, understanding. "Will you be fine here tonight?"

"I'll live," Meilan mumbled.

"Relena asked me to drop you off at her place at nine, so I'll pick you up at eight," he replied. "Try to get some sleep, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed. She planted a soft kiss on his lips before he stood and left. For a moment, she wondered if he picked up on her need to be alone.

**Friday**

Meilan sat up with a yawn, stretching her arms up. Her eyes opened, only to shut again quickly. It wasn't a wave of nausea, it was the sunlight pouring through her open window. It took her a few minutes to open them without burning her retinas. Finally adjusted to the light, Meilan checked her clock and her jaw dropped. It read 8:17 AM. She quickly rushed up, and began dressing. Relena said totally casual so Meilan threw on a brand new pair of faded denim jeans with a dark red polo T-shirt. She had barely finished her morning hygiene routine before Wufei had knocked and entered the apartment.

"Meilan," he called softly.

"In here," she replied and then Meilan threw her hair in a ponytail as she walked out to meet him. "Sorry, I just got up."

"That's fine," he said. "I was going to stop by a café to get something for breakfast. Dearest Sally decided to rain on my time off and shoved a report on me last night. So I was up later than I even intended."

"She doesn't seem to like doing a lot of work," Meilan said, snatching her purse.

"Sally does plenty but she's a little behind on some reports while I keep up on any spare time. Let's go before your parents made an entrance." Meilan nodded and they left. The morning air was crisp and chilled. Only a few cotton ball clouds hung in the blue sky. Grass shined with the early morning dew. Chirping birds flew around for their own breakfast as the Chinese couple drove their way to Relena's. The only flaw with that morning was that it was a Saturday. Many families were together on the day off and going around that morning. Some were headed out of the city while some were shopping. Groups of children and teenagers bounded around the neighborhoods as they drove through. Meilan smiled to herself. Today looked promising.

**Saturday**

Meilan silently packed her suit case for the trip back home. As she stuffed clothes and toiletries into the small suit case, she thought of the last two days compared to the other days. As she thought about it like that, the idea of staying in the capital with Wufei felt like the right decision. Friday was probably the best day on this trip. The other ladies she became fast friends with were renowned for their bravery and efforts and yet, each one acted like a fresh teenager. Hilde nearly squeezed the life out of Meilan when she announced that she was planning on living in the capital. Shopping and dinner with them almost made Meilan inclined to spend all that day with the girl again. Almost.

The day was rivaled by the afternoon she spent with Wufei. A quiet lunch, walking around the park, talking about anything. Her only disappointment was that damned cell phone of his. Happy moment ruined. He was forced back to work early. Something about President and security and what ever else. Meilan didn't pay any attention. All that went through her head was that her time with Wufei was cut short. Personally, she would not mind giving the Chief a piece of her mind.

The day shifted gears and drifted downhill when the door opened and closed for the second time that late afternoon. Meilan scowled and slammed her door shut. Again, she didn't take the initiative to hear what they were saying. All that was on her list to do was slowly pack her things and enjoy some peace and quiet. Not even the twittering birds kept her heavy mind from wandering astray.

Deeper thoughts and doubts began to move around and collide. Would moving cause more problems than she thought? Wufei mentioned that he would get a larger apartment in a family-friendlier neighborhood. If anything happened Hilde and Relena would be there. The two were more than insistent on helping out. Of course, there was Yin and Jiang along with even the Elders to get off the colony again. Samantha and Cherish would be upset but they would understand. What would her life be like in the city? Wufei worked often as did Relena. Hilde was the only one not doing much while Duo was temporarily stationed in the capital. After the baby was born, Meilan would have to stay home with it. She didn't believe in other people raising her child. So she'd pick up some sort of job later.

"Meilan," an elder voice said softly. Meilan shook herself out of her daze and stared at her grandfather. When did he come in? Awareness not maintained.

"Uh, grandpa," she asked, "what is it?"

"I was going to ask if there was any chance of you and Yin getting along anytime soon? It's making things so much more complicated," Master Long said.

"No," Meilan said. "Actually, I was going to tell you I decided to move down here with Wufei. I need a long break from the colony."

The Elder stood there, contemplating what his grandchild had said. Finally, he nodded. "That is you decision then. I will support you in that."

"Thank you," Meilan said.

**Seven Months Later **

"Congratulations, it's a baby girl," the doctor announced, after she had cleaned infant and wrapped her. The tiny bundle was handed to her weary mother, who was numb and exhausted. It was another moment before Wufei joined her. He tenderly brushed a lock of hair away from the woman's pale face.

'See, you lived," he said.

She looked at him. "You're lucky I'm tired. Or I would have to beat you that remark," Meilan retorted in a too quiet voice.

Wufei chuckled. "What did you have in mind for a name?"

Meilan gazed in thought at the sleeping child. "What about Mei? I always thought that was a pretty name," she mused.

Wufei nodded. "Mei. I love it." He kissed her temple. "Just like I love you."

Meilan laughed lightly. "I love you too. But I'm _not_ going to love staying stuck in a bed for nearly a week!"

Her husband sighed. "Pray that our daughter doesn't pick up that attitude."

Meilan looked at him with a glint in her dark eyes. "Wanna bet?"

He merely kissed her on the lips. "We'll see."

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Well that's the end. I'm sorry it's empty and short. I even admit this story isn't one of my best. Sorry for any disappointment. It's the end of summer for me and things are just getting started. Plus there are other stories on the list to be done. I'm not planning a sequel. However, if someone is interested, give me heads up. Mei's gotta grow up sometime. Thank you for reading.

Elda Aranel


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